Look for the Happiness
Violins Make Him Happy
Carefully, with nimble and agile fingers, the boy took the violin from its case and held it in his hands as one would a glass object. The beautiful instrument had some wear that came from years of playing, but still looked as beautiful as the day he first held it within his hands. Momiji loved his violin because with that instrument he could make magic in the form of music and sound.
He placed the piece under his chin and drew back the bow, ready to let the melody radiate from the chamber. This would bring forth noise and delight rolled into one nice package for only himself to see. As the first few notes were played, his body found a rhythm and soon he was playing for an unseen audience a piece that was haunting and distant.
In his mind he thought about the first few times he'd wished to play for the others in his life; or the ones who were there but weren't in his life. Those thoughts were quickly replaced with happy thoughts, because the violin made him happy. Momiji wanted to remain happy, so he always looked for the happiness in everything.
Tohru Makes Him Happy
"We need four cups of flour and a cup and a half of sugar for the batter, Momiji-kun." Tohru said brightly as she handed the measuring cups to her adoring assistant.
Momiji wanted to spend time with the flighty young lady, so he had asked her to help him bake a cake. Of course he was feigning ignorance on the subject, when he was more than capable of reading a recipe. That wouldn't have gotten him the opportunity to spend time with her though, and that's what he wanted, so that was what he was going to do.
"Tohru," he asked as he spilled flower on his shirt. "Can we put strawberries on the cake and chocolate icing and candy sprinkles?"
"Sure…" Tohru stopped talking when she took in the sight of Momiji with flower caked to the front of his shirt. "How did you drop so much flour?" Then she started to giggle, which turned into full blown laughter. Momiji joined in.
For the remainder of the afternoon the two baked a cake worthy of a king (or in this case a house full of men). Momiji would always love spending time with Tohru because the girl made him happy. In return he knew that he also made her happy. It was a win-win situation whenever Momiji and Tohru spent time together.
Clouds Make Him Happy
A happy little bunny-boy was enveloped by the blades of grass next to his house, under a tree. His blond head rested on his soft hands as his eyes watched the sky with a keen interest. Floating far above and out of reach for arms, but not for the imagination, were the clouds that patched the sky with white over blue.
Momiji loved watching the clouds as they floated passed; their shapes changing ever so slightly with every inch of movement. The clouds showed him pictures; rabbits, cats, rats, dogs, sheep, cows, etc. It also showed him changes; how the sheep could change into a dragon, or how the dog could change into a tree. Clouds were constantly changing, much like how the members of the zodiac changed regularly.
He liked looking at the clouds as they meandered passed his vision to become part of another picture Momiji was unable to see unless he changed position. Just imagining what they would look like made him happy. Even though he wouldn't see what happened to them, they would still be there, just like his family. He couldn't always see them, or see the shapes they became, but they were still there.
Bunnies Make Him Happy
Momiji sat in the park with his cousins and Tohru having a picnic. He was enjoying the banter back and forth from his older cousins and the nervous laughter of the girl who had invited them all on the outing. From the corner of his eye he noticed a baby rabbit watching from under the brambles. The little creature was eyeing him with a look of knowing; the same knowing Kyou had with cats and Yuki had with rats.
The boy excused himself and walked over to where the brown-furred baby was sitting, swishing its whiskers to and fro. He sat down on his haunches and the rabbit stepped forward and rested near the warmth of the knee the human had presented. Both were perfectly content to sit with one another in communal silence and listen to the sounds the park had to offer.
"Sometimes I do like sitting with someone who knows what it's like to be a rabbit." Momiji stated after a spell. "No matter what my cousins turn into, they can never understand what turning into a rabbit is like."
Momiji smiled and watched as the rabbit hopped off toward the thicket again, leaving him in happy contemplation. Sometimes just sitting with a cousin from the other end was good for the soul. Plus, rabbits made him happy.
Picture Books Make Him Happy
On his doorstep was a book with a note from Haru that read, "I saw your sister reading this and thought you might like to read it too." This little gift made Momiji jump for joy and he quickly deposited his school bag in his bedroom before launching himself on the sofa to look at the new picture book. Books were one thing, but ones his sister read were another.
He turned to the first page and ran his hands over the delicate drawings. Each page was detailed down to the fine hairs on the characters' eyebrows. Momiji may never have the chance to learn more about his little sister, but when he was able to read the books she read he felt closer to her. There was a possibility she wasn't even able to read yet, so his mother might have even been made closer if the woman was the one reading to Momo.
A smile snaked its way across the teen's face as he enjoyed where the story was headed and once the story was complete he felt revitalized and happy. No, he may never have gotten a chance to be with his sister, but when he read the books she did it was like she was lying next to him while he read the words. These thoughts made him happy. As did the thoughts that Momo was just as happy as he was reading the same story.
Haru Makes Him Happy
"Haru, why do you like to come to this place?" Momiji asked as the two made their way out of the train and onto the platform.
"This place has good memories for me, but the last time I came here I must have had the directions wrong because I ended up on the wrong side of the city." The taller boy mused.
"You mean you got lost?" Momiji chirped.
"No, I just misplaced myself for a while. I finally made it back home after about sixty or so hours." Haru deadpanned.
Momiji giggled, there was no point in trying to talk some sense into his directionally-illiterate cousin; Haru always had a retort or reason for not wanting to admit he needed a GPS chip stuck in his neck like a pet. That fact didn't deter the shorter of the two since being asked to come to this special place was more of an honor than anything. The blond-haired teen knew Haru kept this place secret because it was the first place Haru and RIn had visited as an official couple. Who knew the ox was such a romantic to visit the place on a yearly basis.
The trek to the actual location took about twenty minutes, and soon the boys were sitting with their toes dangling into the waters that ran through the stream. Said water was a cold contrast to the warmth provided by the sun.
"That's how Haru's personality is in a way," Momiji thought.
One side of him was cool while the other side was warm. Momiji didn't really care that his slightly older cousin had such distinct personality traits. Just being able to spend time with the other was a happy occasion in and of itself. Momiji relished the time spent with each of his cousins, but for some reason he really loved spending time with Haru.
Sleeping Makes Him Happy
Saturday mornings for him when he was a child were spent frolicking around the compound and generally making a nuisance of himself, especially for Hatori. Now, while Kyou would disagree, Momiji had calmed down a little bit and started going through the 'normal' sort of teenage routine. Mornings when school wasn't in session he would sleep in and let the dreams take him on journeys to new realms of possibility.
Momiji loved dreaming and remembered thinking he loved the action when he was asleep. Normally he wouldn't really remember what he had dreamt about once he was awake, but he would remember the emotions that went along with any of the dreams he saw. Most of his dreams were of having a family of how own; with a son and a daughter he would love unconditionally and who would never be separated.
To him, those dreams were not just desires, but necessary pieces of his future. Sleeping brought him those pieces of his future while he was still too young to make them a reality. That was one of the reasons sleeping made him happy. Only when sleeping was he able to have his dreams become reality.
Hatori Makes Him Happy
No, he wasn't going to be a doctor, there was no possible way he could stomach watching people vomit down the front of themselves while his hand was near their mouth. That idea was a clear thought in his head after the prior patient had left and the mess was cleaned up. How Hatori managed to keep from regurgitating his morning meal was beyond the doctor's younger cousin.
"Hatori, why did you choose to be a doctor?" Momiji asked as he sat counting tongue depressors and cotton swabs.
"I didn't get to choose. You are old enough you should have known that the dragon is always a doctor." The other man stated with very little emotion.
Momiji wanted to ask more, but he knew his cousin was busy, so he continued to work, if only to give the hard-working man a little bit of a break from the mundane that came with being a Sohma doctor. It was a well known fact that the dragon was always a doctor, which came with the territory of having the ability to erase memories. Sure, there were other doctors in the family, but none was as revered by those in the know as was the dragon.
No one could have told the young Sohma that the older man was completely happy in his career. Momiji liked spending time with Hatori because the man put aside his own desires to help the family. The thought made Momiji sad on occasion, but he was in awe of his cousin. He admired the fact that Hatori didn't like his job, but never complained. If at all possible, the rabbit of the zodiac wanted to grow up to be just like his beloved cousin.
Smiling Makes Him Happy
On that particular morning, after a troubling dream that was too close to reality, the boy finished his morning routine and left his house. He walked passed the house where his father, mother, and sister lived with a smile plastered on his face. Even though he wasn't exactly happy, he would show the world he was because that was what people expected of him.
Momiji met up with Haru in the compound and then with Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou on the way to school. Still, while the pain was deep within, he kept a smile on his face. He always wore a smile because he wanted everyone else to feel comfortable and smile too. No matter the banter that was exchanged though, Momiji still wasn't happy.
The group continued walking and Tohru fell into step beside the boy. He smiled at her because he wanted to make sure she always smiled. No matter what, he would not let that smile on his face slip away. Sometimes there was nothing that made Momiji happy, but the youth would cover it up and look for the happiness so others didn't have to see the pain.