Kit and Kin   by poetheather

 
Takeshi Saito was a quiet student who kept his head down in Ravencrest High School trying to get along. But strange things happen in this small town and the spotlight finds those who would rather hide. So Takeshi finds himself pulled from his happy geek corner to somewhere else, somewhere he is not sure of.

January 23

Walking down the familiar halls of the high school, Maeko had to admit that it was a little strange to be back. Sure being a girl was a bit on the odd side, what with the new way her body moved and the different clothes and all, but there was also the added fact that she was also seeing things just a little bit differently. The first thing that she noticed was that she was a little bit colder than she had been before. Maybe having a sweater or something would be a good plan for tomorrow. She did remember that a number of the other girls had lightweight sweaters or heaver tops on in school, because the heating varied in places in the building. Occasionally it seemed that she could see her breath fogging up the air.

There were a lot of people moving about, and she made her way down the hall towards her homeroom trying not to get jostled too much. Something else was distracting her and that was somewhat troubling. Her gaze lingered on the bodies of some of the male athletes, drifting across their strong backs, flat abs and muscular thighs. Just looking at a group of them and their taut bodies made her lick her lips unconsciously. There was just something about the sight of them that seemed downright… edible and that shook her.

The walls of the hall glistened with the fluorescent light, catching the slight flickers, slick with a smooth sheen on them. Her breath fogged a bit more. She was really going to need a sweater or maybe she should just keep wearing her coat if it was going to continue being this cold. Sensitivity to the cold was one of the biggest downsides she had discovered so far in this new body.

And then she saw him, walking down the hall towards her, with his confident swagger, people moving out of his way, David. His body was strong in all the right ways and it sang out to her. She felt a bit of a need rise up in her, a want, an urge to be filled and a warmth begin to spread from inside her. She bit her lower lip as she let her eyes travel up his body, while other students passed. Westerberg came up to her with a cocky grin, “Hey, new here?”

“You could say that.” She grinned and trailed her eyes over the breadth of his shoulders before recapturing his. Her smile turned softer.

“I guess you like what you see?” He chuffed.

“I don’t dislike it.” she replied coyly.

“Well, maybe we should do something about that.” Her eyes watched his lips and how they faintly blued, his cheeks a bright red.

“Oh?” she cocked an eyebrow, intrigued by his suggestion.

“Oh yeah. I think you and me need to spend some quality time together.” His bright eyes sparkled with rime covered lashes.

As he pulled her into his arms and lowered his bluish lips to hers, her eyes caught on the icicles that dropped from the ceiling, other students frozen in place, coated in hoarfrost. She could feel the warmth of his breath chill as she sucked the air from his lungs, the ice covering everything.

* * * * *

Maeko awoke screaming, thrashing in her bed, eyes wildly scanning the room and a ball of foxfire conjured in one hand. She was panting frantically, and was looking to see if there was ice, any trace of ice in her room or if her breath fogged at all, the ball of flame still held at the ready to fight back against the invading life stealing cold. The door was flung open and she yelped, flinging the foxfire at the unknown enemy.

Her mother cursed and dove for the floor, with more speed than grace. Her kasa simply lifted a hand and the flames vanished as they reached her.

Maeko registered that it was them and in a shaky voice akin to a frightened toddler, asked worriedly, “Mama? Kasa?”

Her parents rushed to her side and embraced her. Pepper flew over from the other side of the bed where she had been hiding, a bit scared herself. Maeko clung to them and shook, the warmth of their bodies making her feel more alive. Her mother asked, “Are you okay baby?”

In a tiny voice that she scarce believed was her own, Maeko weakly replied, “No.”

Her kasa patted her shoulder and said, “That’s okay baby, it’s just a nightmare. Come on, we would be waking up in an hour anyway. I doubt any of us will sleep again after all of that. Let me make us some tea and you can tell us about your nightmare.”

Soon they were all drinking warm beverages as Maeko finished the recollection of her nightmare. She was sort of huddled over her mug, pulling in warmth from the cup as well as the liquid, still somewhat chilled. Her parents looked quite concerned at what they heard. “So which part was worse for you, the ice or the boy?”

“I don’t know? Yes. They were both so… wrong. The way I felt towards those guys was kind of unnatural and didn’t feel normal to me. And the ice and the way it slowly covered and devoured everything… ugh… both scary for different reasons.”

“Fair enough.” replied her kasa. “After hearing this, I have to wonder if this is related to that other nightmare you had?”

Maeko shuddered at the memory. “I don’t know. This one was really creepy. I just hope that wasn’t me. I just… ugh…”

“Afraid that you may actually be into guys?” asked her mother, clearly reading her daughter’s concern.
With a hard swallow, Maeko could only nod.

Her mother sat up and hugged her daughter tight, trying to comfort her some more. “Listen, this is important and I want you to really get this through that thick Saito skull of yours. You will be what you will be. That’s it. When you see someone who you are attracted to your body will react differently now than when you were a boy. Your heart will react the same but what your body will do… just be aware of any interesting and unusual sensations. And if it happens to be a guy that does that for you… don’t fight against it too hard, it’ll only hurt you in the long run. Both your mom and I fought against our desires and all we got out of it was years of needless unhappiness. We won’t think you are a freak or anything because of it. That just means that your body now has desires different from your body then. You know that right.”

“Yes. I know that. It still scares me because I really, really don’t want to be into guys, because it just… well even thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach. But I get what you are saying. Thanks mom.”

“No problem sweetie. No why don’t you go and start getting ready. Drying your hair is a bitch and you’ll want it dry before you leave the house. Freezing hair is no fun.”

Maeko nodded and headed upstairs to get ready. She already had an idea what she was going to wear and all she had to do was make sure she was ready early enough. It did take her a while to dry her hair, longer than she had expected, which had her bitching about being a girl again. Pepper was watching this all and trying to cheer her up, attempting to make her feel better about everything.

Soon enough she was dressed in some cute jeans and a warm and cute Santa Cruz sweatshirt with leaves and monarch butterflies on it, and then made her way back downstairs, ready for her first day of school, or at least as ready as she thought she could be. She had followed her Aunt’s advice and she looked nothing like any of the other girls in town. So mission accomplished.

Her mother had made breakfast, which made Maeko smile, as generally her haha cooked, being the better of the two in the kitchen. Her mom took one look at her and said, “Wow… someone looks cute.”

“Thanks mom.” She ate the food up, some eggs and bacon, looked up at the clock worriedly and then calmed down as her haha came downstairs, dressed for the day. “Ready to go Maeko. We have our part to play in the next stage of the deception.”

“Yes haha. Now Pepper, you know to stay here right?”

“Yes. I know. Some people might be able to see me and that might make things odd for you.” replied the pixie full of cheer.

Maeko rolled her eyes. There really was nothing she could say to that. She gathered up her purse, and the backpack that they had bought Saturday which had all her new school supplies in it. Once she had her new winter coat on, as well as hat, gloves and scarf, she was ready to go. She really did not want to feel all that cold after her nightmare. It still was making her feel chilly despite the weather outside.

When they were almost to the school, her kasa reached over and rested a hand on Maeko’s forearm, trying to comfort the obviously nervous teen. “You know it is going to be alright, right?”

“Really? I am not sure how. If I screw this all up I will get caught and then what is going to happen? How bad will it all be then?” Maeko said a bit frantically, her mind spinning all sorts of doomsday scenarios with the Coven coming in and mind wiping everyone, including her.

“Relax baby, it will all be fine. You just concentrate on being your cover and your schoolwork and let your mom and I worry about everything else. And if you slip, you slip, just keep going and don’t stress.”

“Okay kasa, I’ll try.”

They pulled into the parking lot a good bit earlier than they would have arrived normally and Maeko got fully into character, using one of the meditative focusing techniques to center her mind. They exited the car and her kasa was carrying her briefcase looking very in control. Maeko was sure that was going to have all the documentation needed to prove her existence to the school inside of it plus anything else her kasa thought might be useful to make this happen. Maeko was at her annoyed teen best, following behind and clearly not wanting to be there.

They reached the office pretty quickly and when her kasa opened the door, she insisted that Maeko went through first. Maeko balked and her kasa quirked an eyebrow at her. With a slight frown, Maeko complied, standing a few feet away from the counter with her arms crossed. Once her kasa reached the counter the secretary looked up and asked, “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I need to register my niece for classes. She is coming from California and will be staying with me for a while. I have all her records here. And I also need to make sure you have my son pulled out of classes as well, as he is not going to be attending classes here for the time being.”

“Certainly, Mrs…?”

“Saito. My son is Takeshi Saito, a sophomore. He should already be in your system. This is my niece Maeko Saito. She was going to school in Santa Cruz county, California. What do you need?”

The secretary got out some forms and said, “You need to fill those out and the needed documents are listed on that sheet there. If you have all of that I can get this started right away. Let me see if the Vice Principal is in, he will want to talk to you as well. I will work on making sure that your son is marked as being out of the system for the time being.”

“Thank you.” Maeko’s kasa rapidly filled out the forms, putting in everything that was asked as if this information was actually real instead of simply a cover that had been provided by her Aunt and Uncle. Once that was done, her kasa handed over all the documentation that was asked for after she pulled it out of her briefcase.

Mr. McCormick exited his office and his eyes narrowed when he saw her kasa and Maeko. He walked up to the counter and asked, “What seems to be going on?”

“New student. From California.” replied the secretary as she kept entering in the data, her fingers flying over the keyboard.

“I see. Could you come into my office Miss Saito?” It was phrased as a question but was clearly more of an order.

“It’s Mrs. And you know that.” countered her kasa.

“Sorry, if you and your…” He did not sound in the least bit contrite.

“Niece.”

“Niece, could follow me I am sure that by the time we are done everything will be in order.” His smile held no warmth to it and that bothered Maeko.

Once the door closed behind them and he was behind his desk, he asked as he sat down, “Am I to assume that your niece here is the result of some sort of… transformation during the birthday celebration?”

Her kasa narrowed her eyes at the accusation and said, “When I said this was my niece I did not stutter. This is my sister’s daughter who was having problems back home in California. Chiharu shipped her off to me to watch for a while to see if I can help her get past some of these problems and get better. And because her store still gets people coming in to go hiking in all seasons and she was counting on Maeko’s help to handle the customers we agreed that Takeshi could go out to California for the time being to help out. Given how his last week went here at school, he was rather eager to go.”

“Then you surely have a Parent’s Affidavit allowing you temporary custody of your niece. We cannot enroll her without it. Legal requirements and all.” Mr. McC asked smoothly.

Maeko watched a bit stunned as her haha plucked out a piece of paper from her briefcase and handed it over, practically snapping the paper. Mr. McC frowned when he saw it and looked as if he were going to say something more and then thought better of it. His brows furrowed some and his voice was a bit flat when he said, “I see. And all of her other paperwork is in order?”

“I have shot records, her health form, school records, all of that is out there with your secretary. Maeko, do you want to show the Vice Principal your driver’s license?” Maeko had never heard her kasa sound like this. It was quite clear that there was a lot of bad blood between her parents and Mr. McC. She had never known that but now it was painfully obvious, just like the family relationship between her mother and the Vice Principal.

“No, no… that should be fine. She won’t be driving will she?”

“Doubtful. She hasn’t earned that privilege and we only have the one car.”

“Good, good.” He seemed a bit distracted and maybe a touch worried but Maeko was not sure. After shuffling a few papers on his desk, he finally turned his attention onto her. “Miss Saito, I am not aware of what problems you had back at home, but there are a lot of things we do not tolerate here at this school. See that you behave and your time here will go along just fine.”

Maeko was about to reply when she heard a voice she had never heard before, a very gentle feminine voice say, “Tell him.”

She froze when she heard that and she was not quite sure what to do with that. Tell him? Mr McC? The guy her parents clearly hated? Let him in on the big secret she was worried about letting slip? Maybe she was going a bit crazy and needed to just relax some. Or it could be a memory from the nightmare? She wasn’t sure.

“Miss Saito?”

“Yes sir? I mean, yes sir, like no problem sir. I won’t cause any problems sir.”

Mr. McCormick frowned at that, clearly irritated with that response. “Very well. If there are any problems you are going to be seeing a lot more of me. Also be aware that there are guidance counselors available if you need them. Do not hesitate to use them if you need to.”

“Yes sir.” replied Maeko.

“Well, thank you for your time Mrs. Saito, Miss Saito. If your son is planning on returning to Ravencrest anytime soon please let me know. I have… certain matters to discuss with him.”

Once they were out of his office the door closed. Her kasa rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Come on. Excuse me, is my niece’s schedule ready?”

“Yes. Will she be eating in the cafeteria?” asked the secretary.

“Yes. Could you send me the bill for that?”

“Certainly. Here is a ticket for today’s meal. We will get you a meal card and you can pick that up tomorrow, okay?”

Maeko nodded.

Once she got her new schedule she looked at it. She still had Homeroom and English with Dana which made her happy but nervous at the same time. A lot of her other classes were changed around and that was going to be nice and different. It looked like she would need to learn a whole new schedule and new classrooms and even a few new faces. Sure a lot of them were in the same general area as the others but still. It was just another pain that she was going to have to deal with. Great.

Her kasa looked at her and smiled, “Listen Maeko, I know this wasn’t how you wanted things to go, and there were lots of other things you had planned for your life, but you are here now. Please try to make the best of this. Do I or your Aunt Grace need to pick you up after school?”

“No. Maggie is going to show me around town with Wallace. I figure she has some way to get around or something. If I need a ride like I’ll call you guys.” said Maeko, with what she was hoping was appropriate attitude.

“Take care, be safe and don’t do anything stupid Maeko. Your mom gave your Aunt Grace and me full control. Capiche?” Her kasa’s Italian was kind of terrible.

“Yes Aunt Amane.” She replied with some actual warmth, just so her haha would know she cared..

“See you.”

Once her haha left, Maeko was left standing in the office, looking around kind of wondering what to do. Sure she could head off to her classes just fine but that would completely ruin the whole idea of her being a new student. What the hell was she going to do? Just stand there and wait like an idiot?

The secretary cleared her throat, getting Maeko’s attention. “Honey? Here are your books to tell you the school rules and everything. Here is your locker and combination. And here is a map. The office is this red star. I have highlighted all of your classrooms. This is your homeroom. It is not that far from here. Do you think you can make it or do you want to wait for one of the runners to show so I can have them guide you there?”

Maeko looked at the clock and then at the sheet. She had about ten minutes until the first bell rang, plenty of time for her to stumble her way over there. “I think I can do this. Let me double check this, I go down this hall, like turn here and here and there I am?”

“Yep. That’s it. Good luck and welcome to Ravencrest High.”

She left the office and hustled down the hall before a wave of school pride induced nausea overwhelmed her. Once out of the office the familiar sounds of the hallway filled her ears. There were the same crowds, talking to the same people about the same sorts of stupid things they had been talking about a week before. So much had changed for her and nothing seemed to change for any of them. She shook her head in consternation and felt really alone. Maybe having Pepper stay at home was a bad idea. She could really use a friend right now and she wasn’t sure if she would see Maggie until lunch. This was a stupid idea.

Once at the classroom, after doing her best to follow the map like a somewhat awkwardly confused new student, she paused at the door, took a deep and stepped into her new school life.