She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Lightning flashed across the sky. Rain poured in sheets as Miya ran through the woods. She adjusted her backpack from slipping off. Her legs ached and screamed for her to stop, but she ignored the pain. She had to run and run fast. Miya couldn't take the pain anymore after a while. She stopped underneath a tree. Her knees buckled under the tremendous pain. Faint lights ahead caught her attention. Forcing her legs to move, she came upon a house.

'Strange. Who would have a house in the middle of the woods? Oh, who cares? Maybe they can help me.'

A delicious smell circled the house. Tohru hummed as she chopped carrots and celery for dinner. She wanted to make beef stew for the guys. They absolutely loved it when she made it. It had been a regular day at the Sohma house with Shigure avoiding his editor and Yuki and Kyo fighting moment they were together. The smell soon reached the nose of a grinning Shigure.

"Mmm. Something smells delicious, Tohru."

"Thanks. I'm making beef stew tonight. Where are Yuki and Kyo?"

"Kyo and Yuki are in their rooms."

"Ok. Dinner will be done soon." THUMP. "What was that? That was a loud thump," Tohru said. "It came from the front door.

"I don't know. Stay here, Tohru."

"Ok." The knife shook in her hands.

'What if it's a burglar? Or a murderer! Trying to act nice and then he'll kill us all! I don't think I can handle this, Mom.'

'Ok, Shigure. Don't be scared. It's nothing. Be a man and open the door.'

Shigure walked over to the front door and shakily grabbed the handle. Thunder boomed, making the house vibrate. It rained for the last couple of days and today was the worst. He whimpered. Slowly, he slid the door open and gasped. Kyo came downstairs and saw him.

"Hey, Shigure! What the hell was that noise?"

Shigure pointed down. Upon looking, Kyo softened his harsh eyes. A young girl was sprawled out on the ground. She was soaked to the bone and covered in dirt. The two stood there for a while staring at her. Kyo took off his jacket and put it around her. He then scooped her up in his arms, making sure she was some inches away so he wouldn't transform, and took her inside.

"Take her to my room, Kyo. She can stay there." Kyo nodded. Shigure ran to the kitchen. "Tohru, I need your help."

"What's wrong, Shigure?"

"Just follow me."

In the room, Kyo laid the girl on Shigure's bed. The door slammed open and Tohru and Shigure rushed in.

"Oh, my gosh! Who is she? What happened to her? Is she all right?" Tohru knelt beside the bed.

"All I know is that the loud thump was her falling on our door. Poor girl."

"What's all the commotion about?" Yuki said as he stuck his head. "Who is that?"

"I'll tell you outside," Shigure said. Tohru got up and began to take the girl's clothes off.

"Whoa! What are you doing!" Kyo yelled.

"I have to get these clothes off her before she gets sick." He blushed.

"…I'll be outside too."

Tohru raised the girl's arms and carefully took off her black shirt. She pulled off her sneakers and then her jeans. A while later, the girl was dressed in clean clothes. The sheets on Shigure's bed were changed as well. Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki came in on approval from Tohru. She looked down at her.

'I hope she's all right. It looks like she's had a rough time. It must have taken all her strength to get here.'

"I think one of us should stay with her tonight in case she wakes up," Yuki suggested.

"Well, it's obvious that I should stay with her. A strong man with morals such as myself should always help out a young girl in need," Shigure said. Kyo and Yuki punched him on the head and shouted: "No, you won't!"

"I'll do it," Tohru said.

"Call us if you need anything, Miss Honda."

"Sure." She smiled.

Rain still fell into the night. Tohru slept soundly on the carpet. She made a bed next to the girl to keep an eye on her. After multiple protests from the guys, Tohru assured them that they didn't need to take shifts watching the girl. She could do it herself. Lightning lit the darkened house again. Everyone was fast asleep. The weather didn't wake them from their peaceful slumber. Tohru's eyes opened. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Hmm. Mm." Tohru looked at the girl. She could've sworn she heard her groan. "Hmm."

She gasped. Tohru swung her covers off her, grabbed the girl's hand, and rubbed it lightly. The girl blinked a couple of times before her eyes found Tohru smiling.

"Hi, there. How are you feeling?"

"Tired." She sat up. "Where am I?"

"You're in Shigure's house. He's a friend of mine. He found you outside the front door."

"I remember."

"My name is Tohru Honda."

"I'm Miya Horugaka." Miya's stomach grumbled. "Sorry about that." Tohru smiled.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." Tohru came back with rice balls on a plate. "Here you go."

"Thanks. I'm starving." Miya took a bite of one rice ball. "These are really good!"

"Thank you. Um…can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

"How did you end up here?"

"Oh…Uh, I ran away from home."

"Really? Why?"

"I didn't like it there, that's all."

Tohru could tell Miya didn't want to reveal much about her home life. It had to have been pretty bad for her to resort to running away and during a storm, too. Miya's hand went up to her mouth to cover a yawn.

"Let's go to sleep. I'm sure we're both tired," Tohru said. They got in their beds.

"Tohru?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Miya."

The next morning, Tohru woke up early to check on Miya. She was sound asleep. After making sure she wasn't awake from Tohru's dressing, she made her way to the kitchen. Last night's events replayed over in her mind and more questions arose about Miya, such as where did she come from, what's the real reason she ran away, and why here? Downstairs, she was surprised to see Shigure reading a newspaper in the dining room.

"Good morning, Shigure."

"Morning, Tohru. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes."

"What about mystery girl?"

"She woke up during the night. Her name's Miya Horugaka. I'd like to talk to you about her."

"Go ahead."

Tohru told Shigure about Miya's running away. Upstairs, Miya had woken up a few minutes after Tohru. She made Shigure's bed and dressed in her now-clean clothes which Tohru had put on the night table. She snatched her backpack from a corner and went downstairs.

'I was hoping I would be able to say goodbye Tohru. I guess I can leave her a note.'

Miya set her bag down on a small table with a black phone on it. She searched for a piece of paper and a pen in the mess that was her backpack.

"Good morning, Miya." Tohru stood next to her.

"Hey. I was hoping to talk to you before I left. I wanted to say thank you for taking care of me and letting me spend the night."

"You're very welcome."

"Well, see ya." She slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked toward the door.

"Miya, wait a minute."

"Yeah?"

"Come in here for a minute. I want to show you something before you leave."

Tohru opened a door and motioned for Miya to follow. She entered a quaint dining room. Miya raised an eyebrow at the man sitting at the table. He had black shaggy hair, wore a green robe, and grinned from ear to ear. Closing the door, Tohru sat next to him.

"Miya, this is Shigure."

"Hi."

"Hello, Miya. Won't you please sit down?"

Miya sighed. She wanted nothing more than to leave and not bother Tohru anymore, but she couldn't resist Tohru's smiling face and sat down at the other end.

"I heard from Tohru that you ran away from your home."

"Yes. What's it to you?"

"And that you don't have anywhere else to go?"

"I never said that."

"You didn't need to. Since Tohru managed to convince me, I'm willing to offer you a place to stay."

"What, no! I couldn't possibly!"

"Yes, you can. You can stay in my room. It'll be like having a sleepover," Tohru said.

"No, I'd be a burden. I appreciate letting me stay at your house for the night, but I have to go."

"Go where?"

Shigure gazed at her. Her head down, he remembered when Tohru came to live with them and how scared she was when she thought she'd be a burden on them, too. Miya raised her head, a determined look on her face.

"I'll stay, but on one condition."

"Name it."

"You let me pay rent. It's my way of thanking you."

"Of course. Then it's settled."

"This is great!" Tohru jumped on Miya and hugged her. "I know we're going to be great friends."

"Hold on, Tohru." Both of them looked at Shigure questionably. "First, I have to talk this over with Akito. It's his decision, after all, whether or not Miya will be allowed to stay with us."

"Who's Akito?"

"He's the head of our family, the Sohma family."

At this point, the door slid open. A tired Yuki sauntered over to the table and sat down. His eyes were half-open and he looked ready to topple over…which he did. His head slammed right on the table.

"Oh, Yuki!" Tohru cried out.

"Is he okay?" Miya crawled over to him and poked him several times on the head. Shigure laughed.

"It takes him some time to fully wake up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to visit Akito."

Yuki groaned and lifted his head. Rubbing his eyes, he noticed the girl talking to Tohru.

"Yuki, you're awake."

"Um…"

"Yuki, this is Miya. Miya, this is Yuki Sohma."

"Miya Horugaka's the name."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Horugaka."

"Likewise. So is everyone in this house related?"

"Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo are related. You'll meet Kyo later. I live here as a housemaid, which reminds me. I need to start breakfast."

While Tohru cooked, Yuki took this time to get to know Miya. The two had a delightful conversation. Miya had never met anyone so polite, aside from Tohru. Tohru finished cooking and joined in on their conversation. The closeness of Tohru to the Sohmas reminded Miya of how her family once was. How they laughed together and spent time together, but that was a long time ago. For Miya, the chance of having something of a family again became possible.

Sunshine flooded in from the windows at either end of the hall, providing very little light. Shigure's footsteps were the only source of sound. This passageway would seem scary to anyone else. He found the hidden door and entered Akito's bedroom. Shigure knelt and waited for Akito to acknowledge him. An unnerving aura surrounded the pale, young man. Everyone, including the adults, feared his temper. He stood in the doorway to the patio, his attention on a white bird perched on his finger.

"Hello, Shigure."

"Good morning, Akito. How are you?"

"I've been better. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

"I have something to discuss with you. Something happened last night during the storm. We found a girl outside our house. Tohru told me the girl ran away from her house some miles away from here."

"Let me guess. You were wondering if she can stay with you."

"She has nowhere to go, Akito. If it makes you feel better, she doesn't seem like the hugging type."

"Oh? She doesn't know?"

"Not yet."

"Hmm…"

The white bird twittered and fluttered off into the sky. Fixing his robes, Akito turned to Shigure. He remembered when Tohru Honda came over after the incident with the cat. Even thought he was cruel to her, she still said she was happy to meet him. His heart softened a bit after that, but that little girl had no business interfering with his family. Akito felt she wasn't worth wasting energy trying to get rid of her. He knew what his answer would be already.

All of the boys including Shigure, Tohru, and Miya sat down at the table. Miya seemed calm and collected, but on the inside, she was nervous as hell. Whatever Shigure had to tell her either meant she found a new home or she had to go out and search for another.

"No use beating around the bush, as the saying goes. Miya…" Her hands gripped together. "You can stay here."

"Yes!" She punched the table.

"You can stay in Tohru's room. Is that okay, Tohru?"

"Yup, it's no problem."

Wait a minute! What do you mean 'you can stay here?' "

"I'm gonna be living here now. You must be so excited, Kyo."

"Excited, my ass! We got women moving in left and right here! AH!" Kyo crashed through the house. Yuki lowered his leg.

Miya watched as Kyo and Yuki fought outside, yelling and punching each other. The amusement was enough to make Shigure smile and Tohru worry her ass off. Their happiness made Miya feel very comfortable around them. She couldn't help but feel as though she was with family.

Akito stood in the same spot after Shigure left, leaving him to his thoughts. His dark room provided the comfort that he sought. Another one living with Shigure? He paced around a bit. He hated that Tohru Honda with her goofy smile and clumsiness. How they soon forgot about Akito. Now another one will be living with them. Akito was getting too soft. He smirked. Maybe the girl living with them won't be so bad after all. He chuckled darkly as the inner workings of his mind formulated a plan. No. Not bad at all.