Chapter Four of "The Cat's Revenge" by Melinda-chan

Hello, I'm Tohru Honda and I have come to know a terrible secret. When Mom died, the Sohma family took me in. I soon learned that thirteen members of the Sohma family are possessed by the vengeful spirits of the Chinese Zodiac, plus the Cat! So far, I've meet Yuki (who I call Sohma-kun) who has the Spirit of the Rat, Kyo-kun the Cat, Shigure-kun the Dog (who owns the house I live in), Kagura-san the Boar (who is in love with Kyo-kun," Momiji-kun the Rabbit, Hatori-san the Dragon (but who looks more like a seahorse!), who is also the family doctor, Hatsuharu-san the Ox (who can become quite nasty when he's Black, but he's really a nice person), Ayame-san the Snake (and Sohma-kun's older brother!), and Kisa-san the Tiger (who is so cute!) I also met Akito-san the family head. I have yet to meet Monkey-san, Sheep-san, Horse-san and Rooster-san, but I'm sure they're wonderful people.

Nijo-chan went to my house for a visit. She did see Mit-chan, Shigure's editor, and Ayame-san, though I think I have some explaining to do when I next see her. I just hope that she does get Sakura-chan to our school- she's so cute! I wonder if Sohma-kun or Kyo-kun will like her. I know that Nijo-chan'll probably do it after midterms are over. I also hope that she manages to pass. I wonder how Uo-chan and Hana-chan will do as well, though I know that Hana-chan will probably fail on a few of her tests. I only hope that I don't fail. If I get even one red mark, I think I may die! Oh Mom, I really miss you.

"Good morning, Uo-chan, Hana-chan!" Tohru said. They were at school now.

"So did she had a good time?" Uo-chan inquired.

"I think so," Tohru nodded. "A few unusual things did happen but she said that she did enjoy it."

"Knowing that household, I wonder what happened" Uo-chan said. Hana-chan nodded, leaving Tohru confused.

"It's better left forgotten" Kyo said, popping behind them.

"My idiot big brother came," Yuki said, walking beside them. "That alone made it forgettable."

"You mean the fashion designer?" Uo-chan said.'

"I think so," Hana-chan said. "Or does he just sell them?"

"I don't know," Yuki said. "Let's forget about it, okay?"

"Uo-chan, you said that you wanted to ask me a question yesterday," Tohru said. "Do you still remember it?"

"Oh that!" Uo-chan said. "Well, I- oh hello Mizuki!"

"Huh?" Tohru said. Everyone then looked back. Mizuki stood there, looking somewhat dazed.

"Good morning, Nijo-chan! How are you?" Tohru said. She then saw Mizuki's facial expression. "Are you okay, Nijo-chan?"

"I did go to your place yesterday, right?" Mizuki asked her.

"Yes" Tohru replied. "You do remember it right?"

"Now I do," Mizuki said. She then put her right hand on her face. "I remember a long silver-haired man and a grey-haired man wearing a bathrobe."

"Ah! The silver-haired man was Ayame-san, Sohma-kun's older brother," Tohru said. "And the grey-haired man was Shigure-kun. But he wasn't wearing a bathrobe."

'So I wasn't dreaming,' Mizuki thought. 'But if that's the case, why can't I remember how I got there and left, and the description of the house? It's as if my memory have been erased- or has it?' All of a sudden she felt a tug of her pants. She then looked down.

"Oh it's you," Mizuki said. Momiji looked up at her.

"I heard that you were in Shii-chan's house!" Momiji said. "Did you have a good time?"

"Most of it, yes," Mizuki said.

"Heh," Haru said, walking toward them. He then went right to Yuki. "Heh Yuki."

"Heh" Yuki said, bomping his hands against Haru's.

"So did you meet Shii-chan?" Momiji asked.

"Shii-chan?" Mizuki asked. "Oh you mean Shigure!"

"Ja!" Momiji said. "So what did you think of him?"

A few seconds of silence then ensued.

"Well, I think Shigure is…" Mizuki started to say when she scratched her head. "I think he's a…dog."

At that, everyone stood there, stunned.

"A dog?" Momiji said, sounding a bit uneasy.

"Yeah, a dog," Mizuki said. She then turned to Kyo. "Isn't that what you called him?" At that, Hatsuharu and Momiji turned to look at him.

"What? I just said that he acted like a dog!" Kyo said in self-defense. "Oh forget it! I'm going inside!" At that, he went inside the school. Haru then pulled Yuki aside.

"Sensei didn't…" Haru said in a very low voice. Yuki shook his head.

"Actually, Ayame came too," Yuki said. "I think that would be more of a problem than anything."

"But Sensei didn't…" Haru said.

"No," Yuki answered.

"Just checking," Haru said. They then went back to the group.

"What were you guys talking about?" Mizuki asked.

"Just checking on something" Haru said. "You got something else to say?"

"No, not really," Mizuki said.

"Oh, Sohma-kun, I heard that the Student Council elections are coming shortly," Tohru said. "Are you going to run for President?"

"I am not sure yet" Yuki replied.

"All the girls would likely vote for you," Haru said. "And me too."

"Thank you for your support" Yuki said, a little uneasy.

"Oh I almost forgot something! Tohru, do you have a moment before school begins?" Uo-chan asked.

"Of course, Uo-chan!" Tohru said.

"Is it what I told you?" Hana-chan questioned.

"Yeah" Uo-chan replied.

"Then I should go too," Hana-chan said.

"Ah, Sohma-kun, if you don't mind…" Tohru started to say.

"I don't mind, Honda-san" Yuki said. "Just don't be late for school. Remember that we have more midterms to do."

"Yes" Tohru said sadly. She then followed her female friends to a corner of the school. "Uo-chan, Hana-chan, what do you want to talk about?"

"You know what happened to Takei, right?" Uo-chan asked her.

"Yes. He didn't went worse, did he?" Tohru asked concerned.

"No but Motoko Kinoshita fell into a coma too!" Uo-chan said. Tohru gasped.

"I hope she'll be okay!" Tohru said. "Should I get a 'get well' card?"

'She's actually worried about her?' Uo-chan and Hana-chan thought in unison.

"Listen, I only told you this because we heard that Mizuki was the one that did it to her!" Uo-chan said.

"But why would she do something so horrible to her like that?" Tohru questioned.

"From what we heard, Mizuki got in a fight with the Prince or he said something to her that she didn't like and hit him," Uo-chan said.

'Well, she did hit him,' Tohru thought.

"In any case, Hanajima heard that Motoko said something bad, or maybe she did challenge her" Uo-chan said.

"I don't think so!" Tohru said. "Nijo-chan is a fighter. I don't think Motoko is that type."

"Well, Rika was there too, so who knows?" Uo-chan said. "But something happened that made Mizuki go at her and caused her to be in a coma."

"She didn't assault her, did she?" Tohru asked.

"According to other fan club members that I managed to 'convince' to spill out what happened, she simply touched her on the forehead," Uo-chan told her. "They then accused Hanajima of teaching her that but of course she denied it."

"It's a talent of her own, though I'll love to know where she did discover that" Hana-chan said.

"Just be careful around her," Uo-chan warned. Tohru nodded.

"I can't believe that we have to do this for a few more days!" Uo-chan said a few hours later. They were having lunch now.

"If only I can sleep until the make-up exams," Hana-chan said, putting one of her hands on her cheek. "I'll be sure to be freshened up by then."

'It looks like she's actually looking forward to it' Tohru thought. She then saw Mizuki looking at a magazine. Tohru got up and went to her.

"What are you looking at, Nijo-chan?" Tohru asked.

"A women's boxing magazine," Mizuki answered. The magazine was in English, but Tohru could see that it had many pictures of female boxers in it.

"I didn't know there were female boxing magazines!" Tohru exclaimed. Mizuki pointed to one picture.

"See her? She's Laila Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali. Now she boxes too and I heard that her punches are just as bad, I mean good, as her father" Mizuki said. That caused considerable interest in the cafeteria.

"Is that really true?" a male classmate asked.

"I didn't know that he had children!" another male classmate said.

"How good is she?" another male classmate inquired.

"She's one of the best-known female boxers in the world," Mizuki replied. "Of course her father's name is the reason, but she's good on her own. And this one-" She then pointed to another picture. "- is Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, who was one of Muhammad Ali's greatest boxing rivals. I heard that they are planning to square off next year. I should also mention Nancy Girard, France's most prestigious female savate fighter. All of them, I bet, are as good as the men."

"Oh wow!" the second one said. "I don't know what sabate is, but it sounds awesome!"

'It would be good if you can pronounce it right' Mizuki thought.

"I don't think a woman can be as good as a man," a male classmate from the other side of the room said. He had a buzzcut.

"Oh? You don't think so?" Mizuki said. "Have you tried every female boxer on every male boxer?"

"I mean, a woman boxer! I bet I can defeat one!" the boy said.

"You want to test that theory out?" Mizuki asked.

"Sure!" the boy grinned. Mizuki then took out a business card.

"Mizuki Nijo, lightweight class, Tamarikujan Boxing Club," Mizuki said. "I need some practice before my big fight with Ayumi Takahashi next week. Be there tomorrow at 7 o'clock." She then got up and handed him the card.

"But wait a minute!" the boy said. "I didn't say that I want to fight tomorrow!"

"Too bad. If you said that you can defeat a female boxer, then you'll have to eat your words," Mizuki said. She then looked at him menacingly. "Or are you chickening out?"

"But I-I-" the boy started to say, perspiring a little.

"What is your name?" Mizuki questioned.

"Tanaka Ryoma," the boy replied.

"Tanaka, huh?" Mizuki said. "Well, I shall see you at Tamarikujan then. If you can't go then get someone else to represent you." She then went back to her tray. "Now that's over with, I'm going back to eating." She then started poking her food with her chopsticks.

'I forgot to show her how to use chopsticks!' Tohru thought. 'Though I guess she got other things on her mind now!'

"Man, what a jerk," Uo-chan said a few hours later. "I would have loved to teach him a lesson that a girl can beat a boy."

"Don't get yourself in trouble!" Tohru said. They then saw Mizuki walking outside the school. "Nijo-chan! Are you really going to challenge that boy in boxing?"

"He was asking for it" Mizuki said. "I gave him a day to prepare. I have to prepare as well."

"But are you really going to fight him?" Tohru asked.

"He was the one that challenged me by saying that girls can't fight boys," Mizuki said.

"Even I can fight a guy," Uo-chan said. "Though it does depend on how strong he is."

"So are you going to come or not?" Mizuki asked her.

"Oh I'll come," Uo-chan said smiling. "I'll love to see you beat him to a pulp." Tohru looked at her in shock.

"I don't think I'll be going," Hana-chan said. "I need to look after my little brother tomorrow night."

"How old is he?" Mizuki asked. "He could come too."

"I don't think so…" Hana-chan started to say.

"What's this about a fight?" Haru's voice caused everyone to look back. As expected, Momiji was with him.

"Some idiot said that girls couldn't beat boys, so Mizuki plans on challenging him to a boxing match!" Kyo said.

"A boxing match? I hope that guy knows what he's doing!" Haru said.

"I doubt it" Kyo said.

"So is he a real fighter?" Haru asked.

"How am I suppose to know?" Kyo asked. "Why would you care anyway? You'll beat him up even if you knew that he wasn't a fighter!"

"Well, at least I wouldn't beat him to a pulp like you would!" Haru retorted.

"You guys aren't going to fight again, are you?" a worried Tohru asked.

'As if you wouldn't,' Yuki thought, thinking of Haru. He then saw Mizuki walking away. "Mizuki-chan!"

"What is it?" Mizuki asked, looking back at him.

"I-I wish to speak with you," Yuki said, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "May I have a few minutes of your time?" Why did he felt like that? he wondered. It's not like he was asking her for a date.

"You got something to say to me?" Mizuki asked.

"I-I want a few minutes alone with you," Yuki said, hoping that she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Fine" Mizuki said. "Come with me." Yuki then looked at Tohru and the others.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. Will you all wait for me?" Yuki asked.

"Oh sure, Sohma-kun!" Tohru said.

"Whatever," Kyo said. "I'm going." He then left.

"See you later, Kyo-kun!" Tohru said. Yuki and Mizuki then went back to the school.

"What do you want to talk about?" Mizuki asked as soon as the door closed.

"You do remember what happened yesterday, do you?" Yuki asked in a guarded voice.

"I do remember going there" Mizuki answered. "What about it?" Yuki then took in a deep breath.

"Do you remember… a man with silver hair?" Yuki asked. He didn't know which would be more horrible- if Mizuki did remember and he had to apologize right away or if she didn't remember and he had to explain everything to her and then apologize.

"Yes," Mizuki answered. "Tohru already said that he was your older brother, right?"

"Right" Yuki said, sighing. He then looked at her again. "I hope that you didn't mind his behaviour yesterday. I know that he can be a real pain sometimes but-"

"I think it's cute," Mizuki said.

"Huh?" Yuki said.

"I think it's cute that he would come over just to see what I would be like" Mizuki said.

"What do you mean?" Yuki questioned.

"I mean, it is like an older sibling to watch over a younger sibling like that," Mizuki said. "I bet he was old enough to move out on his own when you were still young, right? So I bet he wants to be a perfect big brother now." Yuki blinked in surprise. How did she know all of that?

"And he probably feel that unless he watches over you, he'll lose you forever," Mizuki continued.

"You…really think so?" Yuki said. Mizuki then turned to look at him.

"In any case, you're invited to the boxing match too," Mizuki said. "Though I don't think you need any lessons."

"Oh?" Yuki said. "Are you saying that you only did this for Kyo? If that's the case, then you better cancel the fight. He'll never learn."

"I didn't make that challenge just for him," Mizuki said. "I'm not forcing you to attend, if that is your desire."

"No, I'll go," Yuki said. "But how long will this be? We still have to study for a few more exams."

"Don't worry about that," Mizuki said. "I got to train now. Just don't go too close to the ring- you don't know if anybody might go out of it, not that it happened to me."

"Well see you then," Yuki said. Mizuki gave him a hand up as she left.

'I wonder what she is going to do,' Yuki thought. There was only one way to found out…

"Tamarikujan Gym…I think this is it!" Uo-chan said. In front of the gym, the sign reads "Tamarikujan," while a smaller sign reads in English: "Unisex Boxing- Males and Females Welcome."

"Wow! So they really do have female boxing here!" Yuki said. He then saw two girls at a booth taking money from people and giving back their change.

"Who are they? Friends of hers?" Uo-chan asked.

"She mentioned that she has two female boxing partners," Tohru said. "Maybe that's them." The two girls then looked at them.

"Hey come over here!" the short-haired girl said. Everybody looked at each other and then went to the booth.

"My name is Tae Okuda," she said, bowing. "This-" she then pointed to her taller partner. "- is Kasumi Watanabe. We're Mizuki Nijo's partners!"

"Are there only three of you?" Kyo asked. Tae nodded.