A twenty-four-year-old female with medium-length strawberry-blonde hair and chocolate-brown eyes named Hinata Fukuzawa stared at the man and woman wearing formal attire in disbelief. Tears began to well up and fall when she heard them say that her beloved older sister, thirty-year-old Kyoko Honda nee Fukuzawa, has passed away.

" Your sister has left behind a daughter. A fourteen-year-old girl named Tohru Honda." The female Social Worker informed Hinata.

" A niece? I have a niece!" Hinata mouth out, getting emotional.

The last time Hinata saw Kyoko was when she was ten. She witnessed her parents disowning her fifteen-year-old sister for falling in love with an older man and marrying him behind their backs. She believed she would never see Kyoko again, but she didn't expect to learn of her older sister's whereabouts via her death.

" Would you like to meet your niece?" The male Social Worker asked.

" Yes. Yes! I would love to meet my niece." Hinata responded.

Hinata watched the female Social Worker turn and approach a car. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the woman open the door, and a fourteen-year-old female with waist-length brown hair and chocolate brown eyes wearing a black dress stepped out of the vehicle.

Hinata stood there, watching Tohru approach her. Her chocolate brown eyes intently stared at the young female's chocolate brown eyes.

' I cannot believe it.' Hinata internally speaks. She was in awe because seeing Tohru in front of her reminded her of Kyoko. The only difference is that Tohru's hair is brown instead of their signature strawberry-blonde hair. She figured her niece inherited that hair color from her father's family.

Tohru stopped walking and looked at Hinata timidly.

" Tohru. Meet Hinata Fukuzawa. She is your mother's younger sister." The female Social Worker introduced Hinata to Tohru.

Tohru's chocolate brown eyes widened, surprised to hear that she has an Aunt since Kyoko rarely talked about her family. However, she gasped when she remembered her mother showing a picture of her teen self with a child by her side smiling.

" Tohru. You see that kid next to me. That's my baby sister. Her name is Hinata." Kyoko stared at the picture fondly.

Tears welled up in Tohru's chocolate brown eyes, happy to have someone from her mother's past in her life. She leaned forward and hugged Hinata, surprising the older female.

Hinata hugged Tohru tightly. She hides her face against her niece's brown hair. She lightly bites her lips, feeling emotional since she can't believe she is holding someone who Kyoko must have loved dearly.

" Everything is going to be okay, Tohru. We have each other now." Hinata whispered. She let go of Tohru and brushed some of her niece's brown hair behind her ear.

Tohru stared at Hinata and smiled, relaxed because she knew in her heart that her Aunt would take good care of her.

" Aunt Hinata!" A young feminine voice awakens Hinata from her slumber.

" Hm? What time is it?" Hinata asked with a yawn. She opened her chocolate brown eyes and blinked when she saw her niece, Tohru, looking down at her.

" There's sunshine. So, it must be morning." Tohru responded.

Tohru leaned back and watched her Aunt Hinata sit up. She stared at the older female fondly, watching her fix her messy strawberry-blonde hair.

" Shit!" Hinata cursed when she heard birds chirping. " Tohru-chan! You need to go to school. It's your first day of High School!" She gets out of her sleeping bag and stretches.

" That's why I am in my school uniform. I am waiting for you to take me to school." Tohru cheerfully responded.

Hinata grabs her duffle bag, pulls out some clothes, and smells it. She winced since the clothes gave out an awful odor. She shook her head, mumbling about going to the nearby river to clean her and Tohru's clothes.

" I'll be outside." Tohru crawls out of the tent and leaves to give Hinata privacy.

Hinata nodded. She changed out of her pajamas and put on her clothes and shoes. Her chocolate brown eyes widened when she remembered that she had a job interview.

" Tohru! Tohru! We need to get going since I have a job interview to attend." Hinata crawls out of the tent and looks at Tohru, seeing her niece stare at the sky.

" It's a beautiful day today. The sun is out." Tohru speaks. She turns around and smiles at Hinata.

" I don't know. I heard the news on the radio. The weather guy said it might rain today." Hinata responded. She stands up and stretches, hearing her bones crack, causing her to sigh in relief.

" He said might. So, it might not rain today." Tohru reassured.

Hinata's gaze softened. She has been raising Tohru for five months now. The two females have gotten close due to their common interests and love for Kyoko.

" Okay. Okay. Little Miss Sunshine." Hinata affectionately ruffled Tohru's brown hair.

Tohru giggled. " Let's get going. I do not want you to be late for your job interview." She turns around and begins to walk away from their tent.

Hinata nodded. She turns and stares inside the tent, looking at a portrait of Kyoko that Tohru had with her after her older sister died.

" Hey, Sis. I hope you are doing okay and that you and Katsuya are having a good time in Heaven. Please watch over Tohru and me and ensure that nothing horrible happens to us." Hinata whispered.

" Aunt Hinata! Everything okay!" Tohru's shouts grabbed Hinata's attention.

Hinata stepped away and locked up the tent. " I'm coming! I'm coming!" She turns around and runs towards Tohru since she will first drop her niece off at school and then head to her job interview.

Hinata meets up with Tohru, and the two females begin to walk through the forest. They saw a dirt road, letting them know the city was close.

Tohru looked at her surroundings, and she stopped walking when something grabbed her attention. Hinata walked past her niece but stopped when she didn't hear footsteps beside her. She turned and raised an eyebrow when she saw Tohru staring at something.

" Hey, Tohru. What are you looking at?" Hinata asked.

" Has that house always been there?" Tohru asked.

Hinata walked towards Tohru and stood beside her. She looked forward, and her chocolate brown eyes widened when she saw a house below the cliff.

" Woah. We have been living in this forest for a few months now. And I have never seen that house until now." Hinata murmured. " Do you think it's a haunted house?" She asked.

" Let's check it out!" Tohru smiled and began to follow the path to the strange house.

Hinata begins to panic. " Tohru! Come back here!" She begins to chase after her niece. " We do not even know who lives there. What if it's the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it's Japanese?" She retorts, getting anxious.

Tohru stopped walking and gasped when she saw cute Chinese zodiac figurines on the wooden floor.

Hinata frowned, looking worried when she heard Tohru gasp. ' Please, don't let it be a dangerous person. Please, don't let it be a dangerous person.' She internally chanted.

Hinata stopped walking and stood beside Tohru. Her chocolate brown eyes blinked, and she raised an eyebrow at what Tohru saw.

" Is that-?" Hinata begins to ask, but Tohru cuts her off.

" It's the Chinese Zodiac!" Tohru brightly smiled. " Aren't they cute?" She asked.

Hinata opens her mouth to respond, but a masculine voice cuts her off.

" You are right, My Dear. These figurines are the Chinese Zodiac." The masculine voice responded.

Hinata turned her gaze to the voice, and her chocolate brown eyes blinked when she saw a twenty-four-year-old male with grey hair and eyes stare back at her.

" Hello.~ My name is Shigure Sohma. And who are you?" The mysterious male asked, causing Hinata and Tohru to look at each other.