Credit given where needed to Ellen Raskin's 'The Westing Game' and Natsuki Takaya's 'Fruits Basket'.

The Sohma Game

The Girly Man

Chapter One: Surprise

"Akito? Akito-san?"

Hatori Sohma was puzzled as he walked around the main house one night. "Akito? Where are you?"

Hatori thought it strange that Akito didn't answer. It was time for Akito's medicine, and instead of rushing to the door like he normally did, Hatori needed to search for him? What also seemed strange was that none of the Main House workers were… working. It was only 9:30. Why would Akito have sent them home already?

"Akito-san…" Hatori sighed, looking in a few open doors. This was getting a little too weird for him.

Hatori pushed open a door and recognized it as 'Yuki's Room'. As the electricity had been taken out of the room years before and it was pitch-black night, Hatori had to take a matchbook out of his breast pocket and light a match to see around the room. This was quite difficult task while carrying the cup of medicine at the same time, but he managed. He moved the match slowly around the room, calling Akito's name. For some reason, a strange feeling erupted in his stomach.

He arrived at the corner of the large, empty room and tripped over something on the floor against the wall. Catching his stumble, Hatori turned around and brought the match closer to the floor in curiosity of what he just tripped over.

At first he thought it was just a kimono, but remembered that he had tripped over something hard. He touched the kimono and drew his hand back quickly. It was not only a kimono. There was a body in the kimono.

A dead body.

Stepping over the body, Hatori held the match close to the face to distinguish who it was. He gasped and almost choked on his sharp intake of breath. It was at that precise moment that he noticed the large envelope in the hand of the corpse. Quickly, he took the envelope and ran out of the room.

Outside the door, Hatori blew out the match and discarded it onto the floor. Inside the envelope were packets and packets of papers. Too shocked to pay much attention, he read through the first paper and returned it to its spot in the envelope. He left the empty house and ran out of the estate and down the street to his cousin's house.

Yuki Sohma also had a strange feeling in his stomach as he returned home from his night walk. It was an indescribable sensation, like the sensation of finally defeating something that had been in your way; the sensation of overcoming a particularly difficult obstacle…

"Welcome home, Yuki-kun!" Tohru happily greeted him as he walked through the front door and hung his winter coat up.

"Hello, Miss Honda," he said slightly uneasily as he unlaced his shoes and walked into the living room. Sighing, he sat down on the couch next to Shigure.

"It's snowing pretty hard out there, huh?" Shigure gave Yuki a pleasant smile. Yuki returned his smile with a forced one, shrugging.

"How come you were gone so long, rat?" Kyo grumbled from across the room.

"No reason. I was out for a walk," Yuki told him.

"Are you hungry? I could make some ramen or—"

Tohru was cut off as the front door burst open and the four flinched at the loud noise.

"Who—" Shigure started, but it was only Hatori.

"Shigure…It's…It's…" Hatori gasped, clutching the large envelope in his hand and waving it around.

"Hatori, calm yourself! Now, let's have Tohru make you some tea and relax. You look like you've just run a mile!" Shigure laughed, not expecting anything wrong. Tohru stood up to get some tea from the kitchen, but Hatori sat her down again. The four stared at Hatori as he caught his breath and began to speak.

"Akito Sohma is dead."

Such a stifling silence occurred in the room that Yuki felt as if he couldn't breathe. Shigure opened his mouth to say something, but chose not to and closed it.

"How do you know?" Kyo asked. Although it was a stupid question, nobody else was saying anything and the silence was killing him.

"I went to the Main House to give him his medicine… and I found him in Yuki's room…dead…"

"What's that envelope for?" Shigure wondered.

Hatori looked at the envelope as if he had forgotten he was holding it. "It was in his hand."

Paying more attention to it then the last time, Hatori took out the first paper and read it. At the bottom of the page—written in Akito's own handwriting—were a telephone number and a foreign name.

"Are we supposed to call that number?" Shigure asked, reading over his friend's shoulder.

"I think so," he answered. Still shaking, Hatori crossed the room and picked up the phone close to where Kyo was sitting.

"No!" Yuki shouted, and the whole room turned to stare at him. "I mean… don't you think it's kind of suspicious? You don't even know who it is."

"Please stay out of this, Yuki," Hatori mumbled, but couldn't help thinking that Yuki was right. He dialed the number that was scribbled at the bottom of the page and waited. It rang twice before somebody answered.

There was no proper greeting or 'Hello' or anything. Just:

"So you've found the envelope."

"Um… yes… do you know what has happened to Akito Sohma?" Hatori asked, his voice shaking.

There was a laugh from the other end. "Of course I do."

"Sir… what is your name?" Hatori asked. Tohru, Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki were all staring holes through him.

"Sam. Sam Kohatio," Sam pronounced it like 'Co-Ha-Show,' and just by the way he said it Hatori could tell he was very full of himself.

"Alright… what are we supposed to do now?" Hatori asked.

"I've already taken Akito-sama's body away. What I need for you to do now is alert all of the Juunishi, including the cat and the girl."

Many questions buzzed around in Hatori's head. Akito-sama? Why would this completely random man call Akito 'Master'? And how did he know about the Juunishi? How did he know about Tohru? How could he have known Akito died, and already taken his body away?

"How did—" Hatori started to ask his questions, but Kohatio interrupted.

"All will be told in time, my dear. Now tell all of the Juunishi to meet in the Main House tomorrow night around 7:00. I would advise you not to read the rest of the contents of that envelope also. Good night to you, Hatori dear."

Sam hung up and so did Hatori, feeling much more confused then he had a few minutes previous.