Author's note: Hello everyone! I'm really happy that everyone's enjoying this as much as I'm enjoying writing it! I've finished my exams so I should have more time to write, though I am going through a funny little writer's block that means I can't write anything /but/ one particular thing. Good news for the ones I can write for, bad news for the others. But I will persevere! So yes, bet you didn't think it was this guy who caught her ;D Also, the end bit is very mushy, apologies for that! And as ever, reviews are really appreciated!

Kes xX

Tamiko's chest loosened when she actually focused on the figure who had rumbled her. "K-Kureno?" she questioned, the confusion clear on her face.

He looked very smart, she noted; black suits seemed to work for him rather well. He was a little taller than he'd been as a teenager, and all of his features seemed to have evened out since then which made him look less gawky than he once did, though his auburn hair was still as flyaway as ever. His hazel eyes were trained onto her form with the same suspicion in them as his voice had. Despite the fact she had been caught, she relaxed; after all, it could have been a lot worse.

"Don't sneak up like that, you scared me half to death!" she hissed.

His cheeks filled with colour and he cast his eyes down. "Sorry", he kept his gaze angled downwards as he added, "but you shouldn't exactly be here."

Tamiko scoffed. "Has Akito warned you all off of me now?"

"Not exactly, but he is baying for your blood. I saw one of his… episodes." Kureno's brows creased into a frown.

"Episodes?" she snorted, "He throws tantrums, Kureno, like a spoilt toddler."

"Tantrums or no, he wants to get to you. Please don't give him the satisfaction and make it easy for him", he replied, sighing as he met her eyes. "I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Not like last ti-"

"Bring that up and you'll be the one getting hurt." Tamiko threatened, but all she did was to look up at the sky again, any trace of hostility gone completely.

"Why are you here, Tamiko?" Kureno asked after a few minutes of silence.

It took a few more minutes of silence until Tamiko answered. "I wanted to see if they were keeping up the act."

"You don't ever…miss it?"

She frowned and turned her body so she could look through the window at the smiles, the dancing and the laughter. "How can you miss something you never truly had in the first place?" she asked quietly, not letting her eyes leave the scene before her. Kureno stayed silent, so she continued, "To be honest, I miss them, not this. I miss the Sohmas, not the Zodiac."

Kureno put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it softly. "And we all know that. But, sometimes it's best to let go. You need to let go of the past before it consumes you, Tamiko. That's what worries me."

Tamiko glared at him. "No way. I pledged that I would help the Sohma family in any way possible, and that is what I intend to do. So go on", she waved him away, "go and raise the alarm if you want. But I'll just keep coming back like a homing pigeon until I manage to do what I promised."

Kureno hesitated, then pulled his hand away with a rather gruff sigh, especially for someone typically as gentle as him. "You're definitely as stubborn as I remember. You know I wouldn't tell on you like an 8 year old."

"But you are itching to run back to your master." Tamiko said simply.

"Kureno?" The pair froze at the new voice. Tamiko transformed out of instinct, but the cloud was an obvious giveaway as she stood in her rat form looking up at the figure that was Hatsuharu. The boy had barely dressed up for the occasion- he was only wearing his usual clothing, combined with his large white coat to keep out the cold. For the second time that night, Tamiko sighed (or rather squeaked) in relief. The teenager appeared to have keen eyesight, for he crouched down and picked the rat Tamiko up in cupped hands without a word being uttered. A flicker of a smile passed over his face. "I can take it from here, Kureno." Tamiko marvelled at how casually he spoke to his 'superiors'; it was as though he really felt he was the same age as them and commanded and expected the same kind of respect they held. She liked it. Kureno looked as relieved as Tamiko did at the boy's words and quickly slipped back inside, and when the door was shut the music dimmed considerably in volume.

Hatsuharu huffed out, sending a cloud up into the night sky. "You are a naughty rat. I know it's you, Tamiko. Yuki's inside."

"Well, I'd be surprised if you didn't", Tamiko admitted, rearing onto her haunches and watching him, "I expect you've been glued to his side all evening."

He shrugged casually. "Maybe."

She tittered. "Are you going to ask me what I'm doing here too?"

Another shrug. "I was certain you came to marvel at me."

"Y'know, that would be hilarious if you actually sounded sarcastic." She remarked as the teenager began to walk towards the front of the house carefully.

The paper lanterns had been lit by now, and each one glowed like a tiny spaceship hovering above the world. Every now and again the light would blink a little brighter than before, in turn lighting up the path leading to the house in a rather ghostly manner. There were dark shapes moving around inside the house that reminded Tamiko of shadow puppets cavorting and playing behind a thin cloth. None of the figures could be made out though, except the long haired variety was either going to be Ayame, Ritzu or Rin. Tamiko couldn't help but shiver at the cold wind winding its way through the compound and ruffling her short fur. Hatsuharu glanced down at her and raised an eyebrow. "If you were a real rat you'd be hibernating by now, wouldn't you? That's not a very good disguise."

"O-okay", Tamiko admitted through chattering teeth, "so I d-didn't think it th-through. I tend not to th-think before I act." She wrapped her worm-like tail around her in an attempt to keep warm and continued to shiver.

"Well, that's not difficult to realise. I knew that already."

She glared at him as best a rat could. "Thanks, Haru."

"You're welcome." He crouched down and set Tamiko down on the floor with a soft smile. "I think you should change back", he said matter of factly.

Tamiko's eyes widened, all traces of the cold vanishing. "You have got to be kidding me."

Hatsuharu shrugged carelessly. "You wanted to come here to see us all, so you should at least change into someone they'll all recognise."

"You…have no idea how much trouble it would cause if Akito spotted me", she said, sighing resignedly. Akito. He was the thing holding her back from everything- not because of what he'd do to her, but of what he would do to those who were friendly with her.

Hatsuharu sat down on the path next to her and rested his head on a hand. "Consider yourself a special guest, invited by me."

Tamiko turned her head towards him. "That would make things even worse, because then your head would be on the block, not mine."

"I can look after myself", he defended, "as you well know."

Tamiko sighed again. "I don't want to see anyone in trouble but myself, Haru."

"Change back or I'll turn Black."

Her eyes widened and she darted towards him in a panic, sitting on his knee. "Don't you dare turn Black on me!"

"I won't if you change back. But if you're going to get me mad…"

Tamiko glared at him. He looked almost proud of the fact he'd found something to blackmail her with. She jumped off his knee and sat back onto her haunches. Well, there was nothing she could throw back at him, and she knew if he turned Black now he would rampage for a day if Yuki wasn't around to calm him down. She closed her eyes and let the feeling steal over her form, swallowing the small figure of the rat and turning her human in a puff of smoke. She remained sitting down and cocked a brow at him. "Happy now?"

"More so," he said, nudging her playfully. "You're much better in human form than rat form."

She looked at him curiously. "I'm guessing that was a compliment." She said with a snigger. "So why aren't you inside enjoying yourself, hmm?"

Hatsuharu seemed to quieten and looked out over the stretch of path they were sat on. "Rin's in there." He said simply.

"Ah." Tamiko put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Do you still have feelings for her?" He shook his head, causing her to frown. "Then what's the problem?"

"She just aggravates me." He leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky. "She refuses to understand the fact that I still care, even if we're not together anymore."

"Was there any reason why the two of you broke up?" Tamiko questioned, a small frown forming between her eyebrows. She had been genuinely curious why the two had suddenly cut it off ever since she'd found out they had been dating, mainly because she couldn't understand why Rin would have broken up with him- after all, she could never see Haru breaking up with anyone.

Hatsuharu kept his eyes on the sky as he replied, "She tired of me."

Tamiko raised a brow. "She found you boring?" When Hatsuharu looked away from the sky only to stare at his shoes glumly she retorted, "Well, that's complete crap, Haru. You're far from boring. You're so…unboring its untrue."

Hatsuharu did turn to watch her then, slight amusement in his eyes. "I'm unboring?"

Tamiko nodded with a small smile. "Well yeah, of course you're unboring, you're one of the most interesting people I've met."

"So are you."

Tamiko chuckled good-humouredly and looked out over the stretch of the compound. "We're not talking about me. There is such thing as being too interesting, you know. You get the mix just about right." She crossed her legs and laid her hands in her lap, her eyes lighting up in the gentle glow of the extraterrestrial lanterns surrounding them. They seemed to rotate closer to her the longer she sat there, as though seeking something from her, giving her the same glowing look as the lanterns themselves. She could feel Hatsuharu's eyes on her and felt rather awkward about it. The silence between them didn't last long, as soon Hatsuharu cleared his throat and attracted her attention again.

"I don't think there's such thing as being too interesting." he said matter of factly, staring at her as though expecting her to argue back at him.

The truth was, however, she was feeling too calm to get worked up about anything. The lanterns were pleasing to watch, and the tiny flickering flames inside were soothing the fire inside of her to an extent. She smiled at him wistfully. "If only that were true, Haru. If only…"

"Why isn't it? What's happened to you that could convince me?"

That hit a nerve. She froze, and the smile fell from her face as quickly as it appeared. She tore her gaze away from him. "You don't need to know about things like that", she said softly, "you don't need the burden."

"It's not a burden, it's just curiosity." Hatsuharu answered. "You know everything there is to know about me, and all of the others. Why does nobody know anything about you?"

Tamiko didn't answer for a while, and instead turned to look back on the party going on inside the house. Hatsuharu did have a point; she knew a lot about every member of the Sohma family. For the honest truth to spill out, she didn't want to know anything about herself as it was, let alone confide in anyone about it. If she could forget her life she would, and start afresh in a new skin. But seeing as she couldn't, she had to keep fighting onwards like she was ploughing through endless snow until she found one point where the snow would all melt away and she could stop the fight and become the content woman she wanted to be. It was only when she heard Hatsuharu clear his throat that she responded at all. "Because it's better if I'm a puzzle to everyone instead of everybody knowing where I've been and where I'm going."

Hatsuharu seemed to sigh. "Do you always have to talk in riddles? It can get tiring after a while."

Tamiko just smiled. "Sorry. It's what I do."

"You'd have made a better writer than Shigure." He commented, offering her a small smile in return.

"Why thank you, I always thought so myself." She replied with a swift smirk.

It was then that the heavens seemed to explode with colour as fireworks lit up the sky and eclipsed the solemnly blinking stars. Tamiko's smirk melted into a genuine smile as she watched them, feeling like a child again. No matter what age you reached, fireworks would always turn you back into a five year old gleefully pointing and gazing with awe up at the display of colours, lights and sounds that could never be replicated. She chuckled softly, and then looked back down at Hatsuharu; he too was watching the sky with the same kind of amazement in his own expression. "I guess that means I should wish you happy new year, Haru." She said.
He looked back down and smiled back. Before she could guess what he was going to do, he got up from the step and plucked two of the lanterns off their strings with a simple tug. "Follow me", he said, turning and disappearing round the back of the house. Tamiko watched him dumbly for a few minutes before getting up and following him. Not only had he made her transform right under Akito's nose, but now he'd defaced property? She was liking him more and more. Hatsuharu was waiting for her around the corner, and Tamiko found herself being led away from the main house and towards an outcrop of houses, the stolen lanterns in Hatsuharu's grasp bobbing and flickering in the air like distress beacons. He seemed pretty clear on where he was going, so she didn't question him or ask him to turn back. That was until she realised where they were headed.

"Your house?" she asked.

Hatsuharu turned and nodded to her. "Yeah, my family are at the celebrations."

"Where you should be", Tamiko reminded him as he walked around the side of the house, "if you weren't so determined to stay with me."

"You say that as though you don't like the company." He replied slyly, and she scowled, beaten. He knew that she enjoyed anyone's company other than her own, and he also knew that he was one of the people highest up on the list.

The fireworks were lighting up their shadows and turning them into kaleidoscopes of colour, but when they got to the back garden the colours were extinguished by the looming form of the house. Tamiko stood back and dived her hands into the pockets of her cloak. "You haven't moved since you were little." She remarked, looking around the garden. "Nothing's changed at all."

Hatsuharu shrugged. "My mother never thought about moving. This is pretty good land, according to her. And obviously, Akito would probably go mad because of me."

She smiled somewhat wistfully at him. "If only you could run away, huh?" she paused. "Are you like the others, Haru?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" she swallowed rather painfully, "do you feel trapped like they do?"

He stood in thought for a few minutes before he replied. "I don't feel as trapped as some of them, but sometimes I do, yes." He then took one of the lanterns' strings and handed it to Tamiko. His hands brushed against hers and she realised how cold he actually was. "It comes with the fact that you live in a place that shuts out the outside world, I guess."

She took the string and smiled softly at him, placing her hand upon his own in an attempt to warm it. "I'll help as much as I can, Haru. I promise."

"The only thing about feeling like this is the matter of not even knowing just how much of a prisoner you really are." Hatsuharu replied, lacing his fingers within hers more out of instinct than anything.

"You would never allow yourself to become a prisoner, Haru. I know you too well. You'd fight it." Tamiko said, looking down at their hands and raising her brows.
"Unless someone I care about is in the line of fire." He answered shortly.

Tamiko frowned as the words sunk in. So that was the problem the Ox of the zodiac had. He cared too much. He cared about his friends, his family, maybe even his enemies, so when they all condemned him as stupid and careless he let them, because he didn't want to hurt them in return. Maybe he'd even felt that they were right to an extent, so he thought there was no need to argue back about it. But Hatsuharu had broken that bond, and he would fight back against his enemies…but he still had the tight connections to his friends and family. Maybe that was sensible, maybe it wasn't. And for some reason, Tamiko ended up spilling out the words, "You're not a fool."

Hatsuharu glanced at her, and she saw his eyes were soft and almost gracious. "I know. You taught me that."

She sighed, and then mentally shook herself. "A new year brings new possibilities", she began, tightening her grip on the lantern's string, "and I hope they'll be the good kind."

"Me too", he agreed, squeezing her hand tightly like when a child seeks reassurance that it's allowed to agree with you. Tamiko smiled, and looked up into the sky. The fireworks had stopped and an eerie kind of peace had fallen over the compound. There was no cheering, no music, nothing. Or maybe that was how she was thinking of it.

Hatsuharu smiled, and said softly, "on the count of three, we'll release the possibilities."

Tamiko grinned at him and bumped him playfully. "You get more poetic with age, Haru. You mature like wine."

"Thank you." Hatsuharu chuckled gently and then slowly counted down. "One…two…three." He let the string slip through his fingers and watched the lantern drift up into the sky, and Tamiko did the same. Their lanterns rose higher and higher, and never once did they move away from each other. Tamiko sighed with contentment as she watched them float off into the unknown, and wondered if that would ever be able to happen to any of the people she knew and cared for. "Happy new year, Tamiko Kasai." Hatsuharu said without even looking away from the lanterns' progress.

Tamiko looked down at him and leant close to him, and before she fully realised why she did it, she brushed her lips against his cheek. "Happy new year, Hatsuharu Sohma." She replied.