A/N: Okay, I was supposed to take a break, but then I remembered I promised up to chapter 15 before June 15, so I rushed over to the computer and started typing, :) To the thankiies!
Thanks To:
Kimmytrainer- Well, I already explained the reason for Hatori's OOC-ness, so all I have to do is give you another big thanks! THANIIES! :)
ValueMyHeart- I'm glad I've gained another reader, so thank you for taking the time to read and review, my dear! :D Thanks so much!
BlackBaka21- Woah! I made a cliffy without even realizing it! XD Haha, I've always wanted to make one, well now I did! I'm glad I have a kind reviewer such as yourself, :D Your reviews always help me out, so thanks a bunch!
disneytiger- Aww, love-hate relationship with ice-skating? I do to! :D And apparently, so does Akane…thankiies for the review!
LookOutShe'sGotAPen- Yay! LOSGAP loved it! Woohoo! Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter too, dearie! Thankiies! :)
-Valor—Ah, my dear, dear, Valor! I know! Ruo and Ritsu would have been a perfect lovey-dovey team! Too bad he already has a future love interest…whoops, there's a spoiler for you guys, :)
GacktAddict1330- Sissy! It's good you liked it! Thankiies so much for the review! Luurve you! XD
A Special Thanks To:
Kimmytrainer, ValueMyHeart and xxOhDearxx for adding this story to their Favorites list; Kimmytrainer and BlackBaka21 adding yours truly to their Favorite Authors list; ValueMyHeart, The Gray Rook and SugarLandBabyGirl (nice penname, by the way! XD) for adding this story to their Alerts; and finally, last but not the least, BlackBaka21 (again, :P Though I'm not complaining, are you?) for adding me to their Author Alerts! I love you guys so much! Thankiies a bundle!
Enjoy!
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Chapter 10: Partying the Yoshikuni Style
Finally, in what had seemed for forever, the week has ended and so has the stay of the Yoshikuni siblings in the Sohma Main House. What a dilemma though, if it was one thing the siblings learned, Hatori Sohma was not a party-planning type of man. An hour of suggesting random ideas for said party and receiving nothing more than an incoherent mumble for each suggestion would have proved it to any normal person, but remained impassive with Ruo.
"What about a cake?" Ruo asked, crossing out 'Pin the Tail on the Seahorse' off the small notebook resting on the palm of his hand. He looked up expectantly at the nonchalant doctor, his hand resting on a jutted hip with a yellow pen secured between his long fingers. The words, 'Plans for Kane-chan's Super Duper Surprise Birthday Party' were written in large, scratchy letters at the top of the page, followed by small notes Ruo had written earlier.
"Hn," Hatori replied, idly pushing his glasses back up to bridge of his nose, eyes travelling over one piece of paper to another. Ruo nodded, clueless to Hatori's non-cooperation. Oh, woe is Hatori, why must he be the victim of the older Yoshikuni's antics? Why?
"I was thinking a chocolate cake might suit Kane-chan, or maybe even vanilla…" Hatori blocked out the man's loud voice with a turn of the head as he leaned back against his leather office chair. The sun's glaring light shone through the open window, announcing the arrival of near-dusk, as well as the other Yoshikuni's arrival. Hatori sighed lightly, mulling over Ruo's answer the other night, if he could call it an answer, it was more of a riddle all in its own.
The death of a friend…the death…of a friend… Whose friend was it? How and when did it happen? Hatori had so many unanswered questions; it would surprise any of his own acquaintances the interest he had in the speculation. So many questions left wandering at the back of the man's mind. It was driving him on edge and he didn't like it.
Ruo had been scarce on information that night, so scarce that Hatori thought that the little revelation Ruo had made was an accident, as if he was never meant to know that much –if you could call it much. He had only given that little statement and turned quiet the rest of the way, rejoining his sister and the two younger teenagers who were walking farther ahead of Hatori himself. When he tried to approach him later at their arrival, he was openly avoiding the topic by reverting back to his cheery self, making Hatori, as of the moment, drop the subject.
Now, during that morning, Hatori had been so occupied with recent Sohma medical documents that he had no time to bring it up with Ruo. Unfortunately, instead of Hatori finding Ruo, it was him who found Hatori. And oh, how he wished he didn't.
"…or what about cheesecake?" Ruo exclaimed while hitting the notebook lightly with the thin pen. He nodded to himself determinedly, bringing his pen to the pad's surface, a bead sweat falling in concentration as the pen's tip scratched wildly against the paper. "What do you think, Hatori-san?"
"Hn," he muttered absentmindedly, his thoughts still dwelling around the possible meaning of Akane's answer. In all honestly, he would never be so wrapped up in his own thought likes this, he supposed it was because of the obvious comparison Kana and Akane's reply made. Two entirely different answers to the same question, and yet, both held some sort of truth in it. How was it possible?
"Hatori-san, you aren't even listening to me!" Ruo exclaimed pathetically, pointing an accusatory finger in the doctor's direction. Hatori raised a thin eyebrow at Ruo lazily, an unbelieving look crossing his olive eyes.
"What was your first clue?" Ruo burst into tears at that point, collapsing into a crumpled heap next to Hatori's desk, the floor beneath him soaked in shed tears.
"Kane-chan was right, you are mean!" When the lack of an apologetic or even sympathetic response from Hatori registered in Ruo's mind, the waterworks increased times ten. Come to think of it, what would the doctor think of an indoor swimming pool…
"Did I just hear my name?" a soft voice rang from outside the office, making the two men look up at the open door. There Akane stood in all her glory (yeah, right), her arms crossed over her chest and back pressed up against the doorframe and an amused expression shown clearly on her face, "Hatori-san, what did you do to make my Nii-chan cry?" she asked in a teasingly scolding tone, obviously not really minding her overdramatic brother's distraught persona.
"I can assure you, Akane-san," Hatori stated in reply, "That I had done nothing wrong to your brother." Akane gave the stoic man a scrutinizing gaze before shrugging lazily.
"Whatever." Ruo then burst into hysterics and started shouting out exclamations of cruelty and 'older brother abuse'. Neither paid any heed to him though, as expected. Akane glimpsed at the black notebook laid forgotten beside Ruo, and stretched a hand to retrieve it from the floor, "What's this?"
Time seemed to stand still as the red head flipped through the notebook's pages. An evil aura appeared over twitching figure and for a moment, Ruo feared for his life. A shaking hand was brought in front of the woman, the poor crumpled notebook caught in her hand in a death grip. Her head snapped up to meet Ruo's, her normally green eyes glazing an angry red.
"HOW THE HELL IS IT SUPPOSED TO BE A SURPRISE PARTY IF I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT!?!" she shouted menacingly making Ruo shrink in comparison.
"Okay, okay, no need to shout!" Ruo stuttered out nervously, holding a hand up to protect himself from the woman's wrath. Akane sighed tiredly and brought her index finger to her temple, rubbing it softly in soothing circles. She held up the notebook in front of her again, scanning over the list with bored eyes. Akane suddenly perked up though, when a certain game name caught her attention.
"Oh, 'Pin the Tail on the Seahorse'! That sounds like fun!" she exclaimed, her mood suddenly turning cheery as she gave the doctor a sheepish smile, "Say, Hatori-san, can we-"
"No."
"Thought so."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Ah, Saturday, what would I do without you?" Akane giggled to herself silently while wrapping her arms over her tights-clad legs. A thick blanket was secured around Akane's body, protecting her lithe form from the cold released by the falling snow. She sighed contentedly as she sipped on the hot coffee in hand, greatly appreciating the warmth that had immediately spread throughout her body.
"I see you're enjoying the snow." Akane looked back and smiled widely when she Hatori's looming figure standing by the open shoji doors*, nodding happily before turning her gaze back to the slow descend of ice, "Aren't you cold?" he asked while striding towards Akane, just stopping a step behind her.
"Not at all, Hatori-san," she replied, placing her mug down on top of the long blanket's cloth extending beside her. She tapped the space beside her invitingly, "Would you like to join me?" Hatori neither left nor sat down, but instead, stayed where he was, unmoving. "I'll take that as a 'no'." Akane laughed as she reclaimed her mug, sipping on it silently.
"When will you and Ruo-san be leaving?" Hatori asked with a soft voice as he finally took a seat beside the unusually quiet red head.
"Oh, umm…" she trailed off for a bit, looking at the ceiling with a thoughtful stare. A finger was placed on her chin as she replied, "Maybe once the snow stops falling, I just want to watch it for a while more. Sorry, I guess we'll have to trespass for a little bit longer." Akane finished with a sheepish chuckle.
"Not at all," he replied, leaning back against one of the wooden poles supporting the roof, "I have to admit, Akane-san, you and your brother had made an influence in this house during your stay."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she inquired jokingly with a lopsided grin.
"Depends on how you look at it." he replied, a rare smile appearing on his face, and though it was very small and barely noticeable, it was still there. Akane gave an accepting shrug as a reply.
"Fair enough."
The two shared a short laugh before Akane stood up from the floor. She squeaked in surprise when the mug tipped over and spilled all over the floor, the blanket, and worst, her bare foot.
"Ouch…" she muttered silently, shaking her foot in an attempt to get rid of the burning sensation. Tears stung from the corner of her eyes as she held her foot, now beating an angry red color. Hatori sighed and motioned her to sit back down as he himself stood up, walking back inside the house.
"I'll get some bandages," Akane sighed as the doctor left her alone, staring pathetically at the mug laid on its side, its contents spilled over the floor.
"Damn you," she cursed angrily while kicking the mug, watching with a cruel smirk as it tumbled farther and farther down the elongated floor. She then gave it an approving nod as it tumbled over the edge and fell into the deep snow.
"The mug didn't do anything to you; it was pretty much the coffee inside it." Hatori said, stepping out from behind the door, now sporting a tan colored bandage and a bottle of burn-lotion in hand. Akane rolled her eyes at the doctor's comment before holding out her hands, curling it closed then back open in a 'hand it over' motion. Hatori ignored the woman's request and neared her slowly, kneeling down in front of her outstretched leg, "Does it still hurt?"
Akane shook her idly while supporting her upright body with her hands, "Not that much anymore." Hatori nodded and flipped open the bottle's cap, passing it over nearer to Akane.
"Rub that on the burn."
Akane did as she was told and poured a generous amount on the palm of her hand, rubbing it gently over the reddened skin, "What is this anyway?"
"Burn-lotion." Hatori replied curtly.
"There is such a thing?" Akane asked with a sweat drop, looking warily at the bottle in her hands and the white, gooey substance smothered all over her foot.
"Apparently there is," Hatori said with a raised eyebrow. Akane laughed at the strange look the doctor was giving her then turned back to the small, yellow bottle in hand. She turned it over and gave an unladylike snort at the back label.
Burn Relief is combined with Aloe Vera extract to ensure the soothing of first-degree burns. Akane rolled her eyes at the brief description then looked over the rest of the bottle. Her eyes nearly increased twice their original size when she caught the price tag still stuck to the lower corner.
"What a load of crap, it's just Aloe Vera lotion." she looked at the bottle with an indignant frown, "Hey, Hatori-san, you know you could have just gotten the Aloe Vera lotion itself instead of this rip-off. It would have saved a lot of money." Akane stopped just as she started her rant when the doctor shot her a look that immediately gave the 'shut-up-or-I'll-make-you-hurt-even-more' impression.
Hatori reclaimed the burn-lotion from Akane and placed it beside him, now safe from the red head's over-pricing issues. He unraveled the roll of bandages and placed the end on top of the curve of Akane's foot, slowly wrapping it around its arch then bringing it higher to her lower-calf. Akane looked at the doctor closely as he secured the end by tucking it in the various layers the doctor had made, giving her foot a judging gaze.
"Do you think they sell polka-dotted bandages?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Kane-chan, what happened to your foot?" Ruo inquired as his sister limped into the room, leaning against the wall beside her for support. Akane looked at her raised foot briefly before looking back at her brother with a sardonic look.
"Let's just say I'm giving up coffee from now on," she said in a flat and scornful tone, limping closer to the table Ruo sat at.
"Typical," he replied, giving the frowning woman a sigh and shake of the head, "You have to take care better of yourself, Kane-chan!" he exclaimed, lifting a finger pointedly, "Especially now, since it's your birthday and everything." Akane scoffed bitterly and plopped down on the empty space beside her brother.
"I take damn good well of myself," she protested as she lifted an arm, ready to rest her elbow on the table's flat surface…and completely missing. Her head gave a loud 'thud' as it connected with the edge of the table, a strangled cry escaping Akane's lips as she clutched her head in agony. She stars while she blinked her eyes several times –an attempt to shoo away the blotches of black overcoming her sight.
"That got to have hurt." A new voice sounded from the doorway, announcing his presence. Ruo looked over his shoulder to meet the newcomer, giving a bright and wide smile when he noticed the man's two-toned hair.
"Haru-kun!" Ruo greeted with an enthusiastic wave, inviting the ox to join them at the table. Haru gave the man a small nod and smile before turning his attention back to Akane.
"You okay?" Akane rubbed her head a few times before looking back at the teenager, a small smile replacing her earlier frown.
"Yeah, it's just a small bump." she said, chuckling at herself lightly. Haru raised an eyebrow questioningly before shaking away the thought, placing a gloved hand on the older woman's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Akane-san." he said, offering the red head an awkward kind of side hug. Akane laughed at the hesitation but made the top of her head rest against Haru's shoulder, somewhat returning the platonic affection.
"Thank you, Haru-kun." she said, lifting her head from the said boy's shoulder and smiled brightly, "Hey, hey, you're going to the party right?" Akane, ignoring Haru's amused stare at her sudden mood swing. Excitement had overcome the young woman, and so has the thought of meeting the entire Zodiac. She had hoped that Hatori was able to convince everyone to come, though she would have been a little bit put off herself if someone she didn't know invited her to their birthday party.
"Yeah," Haru replied simply, "…as if you would let me not attend." he added to himself silently, laughing behind a hand.
"Hmm? What was that, Haru-kun?" Akane asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness and a cheerful smile plastered on her face –and yet, the silent threat was spoken telepathically, and fortunately for him, Haru understood.
"Nothing, Akane-san," Haru deadpanned blandly, feigning an innocent smile. Akane chuckled in response, but glanced quickly at the door, wondering why the ox was here and not accompanied the hyperactive blonde.
"Where's Momiji-chan?" she asked, tilting her head curiously at Haru, "He didn't come home with you?" Haru shook his head lazily.
"No," he said, "He went over to Shigure's house with Yuki and the others. He said he would go over to your house with them, since they don't know where you live." Akane thought about the piece of information before giving an understanding nod.
"I guess that's a reasonable thing to do…" she pondered on the topic for a moment before shrugging lazily. She then turned to look at Ruo, the pen clutched in his hand tracing lines over the familiar looking black notebook, "Why are you so quiet?"
"No particular reason," he mumbled, ignoring the confused looks Haru and Akane threw at him. Truth be told, he didn't know what to do. He had almost told Hatori what had happened, something that would not have ended on a good note, for sure. But there was a feeling deep inside that told Ruo it would be better if the stoic doctor knew.
Maybe it was the small glimmer of hope that said Hatori could be Akane's next love, or maybe it was the strong desire of wanting Akane to show her true emotions to someone other than him. He truly didn't know.
"Arggh!" Ruo exclaimed angrily, placing both hands on his temples and rubbed the flat area in soothing circles. This is why I hate thinking…he thought with a wry smile. His thoughts were interrupted when a pale hand waved frantically in front of his face. Green met green when Ruo blinked surprisingly at Akane's appearance before him.
"You okay, Nii-chan? You were spacing out." she asked with a concerned tone and equally concerned expression. It suddenly turned into one of suspicion though when she poked him lightly on the nose, "You weren't trying to think too hard again, were you?"
"Kane-chan! You're so mean to your Nii-chan!" Ruo complained while wailing loudly, a new fountain of tears falling over dramatically from his eyes. Haru stared blankly at the scene in front of him before turning his head to gaze out of the window silently.
"I wonder how Hatori puts up with you two…"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"ACHOO!"
Hatori pulled out a clean, white handkerchief from his slacks' pockets and rubbed it against his nose lightly. He sniffed lightly as a pink tinge appeared on the tip of his nose, blinking confusedly at the empty space in front of him.
"Am I catching a cold?"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Bye-bye! See you later!" Akane shouted loudly as she waved at Hatori and Haru, carefully walking down the stone steps leading to the Sohma Main House's gate. She turned back to gaze in front of her, smiling giddily at herself before addressing Ruo, currently walking beside her, "Hey, Nii-chan, do you think Hatori-san was able to invite the entire Zodiac?"
"I wouldn't know," he replied, giving a light-hearted shrug, "The only thing I want is for you to enjoy yourself. It's been a while since you celebrated your birthday with anyone aside from me." Ruo said, pulling Akane into a playful side hug. Akane chuckled as she struggled out his grip, whining as she felt Ruo's knuckled dig softly into her skull.
"Hey, not so hard!" she complained with a laugh, pushing her brother's hands away from her head and ran farther down the snow-filled path, adjusting the beanie placed on her head. The wide and cheerful smile never left the red head's face, and she knew that nothing could dampen her good mood, not even her brother's annoying teases. Ruo glanced with an appreciative smile as Akane skipped down the street, his smile widening significantly at the sight of her obvious excitement.
It's good you can smile like that again, Kane-chan…
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Ding dong!
"Coming!" Akane ran out of her room and to the door, checking her reflection once more in the bathroom mirror before approaching the apartment's shut door. Her earlier wardrobe of a simple skirt, sweater and tights were replaced with a white turtleneck, long-sleeved dress that stopped just before her kneecaps, black stockings protected her legs from the cold and a long green-colored scarf was wrapped messily around her neck.
Akane's red bangs were swept to the side, subtly framing her oval-shaped face. The beige carpet muffled the flat, black boots Akane wore as she neared the door, pulling it open with a big smile ready to greet her guests. "Hey, I'm glad you guys could make it!"
Hatori stood in front of all of them, Shigure and Ayame standing either side of him. Kyo, Yuki, Momiji, Haru and Tohru stood behind the three, Kisa holding onto Tohru's hand –typical of the timid girl. A boy around the same age as Kisa stood beside her, a bored look and lazy smirk residing his youthful face. Behind that batch, Ritsu stood, shockingly not in a kimono, but a pair of blue denim pants and a white button up shirt instead. Akane beamed at his appearance then drifted her eyes to the next person.
A girl looking around the same age as Tohru, a shy smile gracing her soft, girly features and Akane briefly wondered if she was a model of some sort. Akane stepped out of the doorway and brought a hand to her side, happily inviting the large group into the room.
"Please, come in."
They all entered accordingly, giving thankful glances at Akane when she mentioned that they didn't have to take of their shoes. Ruo pretty much convinced her to allow this.
'It only happens once a year', he says…Akane thought with a sigh, glancing briefly at the visitors as they filed into the room, shoes and all. He's helping clean the carpet…
"Welcome!" Ruo's booming voice echoed throughout the spacious living room, a glee-filled smile adorned his face and both arms were held wide open, welcoming the entire family, plus Tohru, with open arms.
"See, I told you they lived in a pretty place!" Momiji exclaimed while bouncing over to Akane, looking up at her with sparkly goo-goo eyes, "Happy birthday, Ka-chan!" Akane giggled and placed a hand on the tuft of blonde hair, patting it lovingly.
"Thank you, Momiji-chan." she said, surveying her own home. The apartment looked really different the last time the Sohmas visited, since it was now rearranged to make the room seem more spacious. A long, buffet-like table stood against the wall, plates of all sorts of dishes lavishing most of its space. The TV, couch, and coffee table were now pressed up against the wall beside the front door, allowing more free space in the already large living room area.
Akane immediately studied the two new faces in the room; her first target being the younger, mean-looking boy. Hmm…she thought, mentally rubbing her chin in deep thought, Tough exterior…arrogance is just spilling off of him in buckets! She gave a final nod and a tired sigh. Definitely a mini-Kyo… Akane then focused her attention on the other newcomer –the shy girl, who was, at the moment, giving her an awkward smile of sorts. Akane returned it kindly before giving her a look-over.
Her brown hair stopped just after her shoulders, a black bow pulling it into a half pony-tail. The top of her head probably stopped in between Tohru and herself, about an inch shorter than Akane but an inch taller than Tohru. She had a very petite figure, Tohru still being smaller, but not by much. Age-wise, Akane could tell that she couldn't be that much older than Kyo and Yuki, maybe a year or two younger than Ritsu. A freshman at a university maybe?
"Alright, alright," Ruo called out while clinking the champagne glass in hand with the dull side of a small knife, "It's time for introductions of the new kids!" The mystery Kyo-like boy scoffed at the announcement, making Akane giggled at the familiar reaction. I can now imagine Kyo as a kid… Akane noticed Kisa's grip onto mini-Kyo's sleeve, whispering shy and timid words silently to him. When he stood up straighter and swallowed, as if preparing to speak, Akane allowed a thin eyebrow to rise at the sudden change in mind.
So mini-Kyo likes 'em cute, eh? Akane giggled to herself before smiling at the small boy and the girl resembling a model, signaling them to proceed with their introductions.
"Kagura Sohma, boar of the Zodiac." The girl, Kagura, said shyly, giving Akane a deep but slightly awkward bow and she briefly returned the polite gesture.
"Hiro Sohma, born under the year of the sheep." he said curtly, his tone dripping with pride and arrogance, "Currently wants to get away from this stupid place." Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and looked at Akane warily, wondering what the woman's reaction would be. Surprise, surprise, though, when all she did was smile and chuckle.
"You really are like a mini-Kyo!" she exclaimed, a cheery smile adapting to her innocent expression. Everyone seemed to explode in laughter at this, who the laughter was directed at, nobody was sure. Kyo's hair bristled at the comparison the clueless woman made, jabbing a finger at the birthday girl's direction accusingly.
"Don't put me in the same category as that damn brat!" he shouted, while moving his finger from Akane to Hiro, then back again. Akane laughed loudly, along with almost everyone else in the room, swearing that a cat's tail and ears would appear on Kyo any second.
"Be quiet, you stupid cat," Yuki reprimanded, a condescending tone gracing his words, "You're being rude to Akane-san." Kyo practically hissed at the nonchalant boy, bring a fist in front of him threateningly.
"Shut up, pretty boy! I'm goi-" Just as Kyo completed his declaration of war, ice cold water fell down from above, not enough to soak his clothes, but enough to dampen his fiery, orange hair. He looked back angrily at whoever was holding the glass –previously containing the water, above his head. There he saw Akane standing, glass in hand with an innocent expression clouding her face.
"Bad kitty, no fighting in my house." Akane scolded with a teasing smile, placing the used glass on top of a near-by table. As Kyo opened his mouth to roar back an exclamation, Shigure and Ayame ran to his side, pulling on a pair of party popper's strings and announced to the group with a smile,
"PARTY TIME!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Everyone had settled in a comfortable space in the living room, the adults in one corner, snacking happily on the different dishes laid out on the buffet table, while the younger ones were scattered around randomly, free to do whatever they want during their stay. Yuki was currently conversing with Haru and Momiji about Kyo, who was, at the present, running around the apartment in hopes to flee away from an enraged boar.
When Ruo and Akane questioned Shigure about this, the only thing he elaborated was that it was her way of 'showing affection', effectively scarring the two Yoshikunis. Tohru, Kisa, Hiro and Ritsu were in another area of the room, all having a glass of different drinks in hand. Akane shook her head idly when Kyo and Kagura ran by past them.
"Lively bunch, you guys are." she said, giving the three eldest Sohmas an amused look.
"Well, we can assure you that you'll never go bored when we're around!" Ayame exclaimed, holding a hand dramatically to his forehead. Shigure nodded in agreement while the doctor remained silent.
"Yes, I don't think there'll ever be a dull moment with you guys," Ruo added with an agree-filled smile, patting Ayame in the back in a friendly manner. This time, Hatori started the chorus of laughter with a small chuckle of agreement, making everyone eventually join in as well. Akane placed down her glass of champagne for a moment, making a small statement of having to get something from her room. The three older males nodded mutely as she stole away her presence, deftly opening the door to her room and entering it.
As she stood in the doorway of the dark area, she sighed as her gaze lingered on a large portrait hanging in front of her. One of a beautiful woman with red hair falling in gentle waves and gentle green eyes, her pale skin contrasting perfectly with light green dress she wore. Akane's eyes watered as she studied the painting, something she had done so many times already.
Mama…she thought sadly before brushing away the tears with a solemn smile, No, I can't spare a sad thought today… Akane gave herself another smile, a happier one, and entered the room fully. Her eyes scanned over the bed and shelf, not hearing the footsteps approaching her.
"Ka-chan!" Momiji exclaimed as he too barged into the room, snapping Akane out of her daze-like sate. She looked back at him in surprise, blinking down at his ecstatic, brown eyes. "What are you looking at?" Akane looked back at the painting in front of her, placing a hand on Momiji's shoulder.
"She's my mother, Momiji." Momiji's eyes widened in surprise when she mentioned this before breaking out in a wide grin and ran over to get a better look of the picture.
"Wow! She looks just like you!" he exclaimed, moving his head from side to side and top to bottom, observing every inch of the medium-sized painting.
"Indeed she does, Akane-san." Haru said, appearing shockingly behind said woman. Akane gave a smile of hanks at this, truly flattered by the comment the two cursed teenagers had made.
"Thanks for saying so, you two." she replied, inviting Haru to come into the room. Her eyes trailed over the length of the bed, the item she was meant to retrieve still hiding from the silently frustrated red head. Unfortunately, when she had finally spotted the black, leather violin-case sitting innocently against the hardwood of her single bed, so had Momiji.
"Oh! Ka-chan, you play violin?" Akane winced inwardly at the German youth's loud voice, hoping that his little discovery stayed unknown by the other's outside.
"I didn't know you played violin, Akane-san." Yuki's voice sounded from the doorway.
But apparently, luck was just never on Akane's side.
"Oh, how I wanted it to stay that way…" she muttered to herself before giving the effeminate boy a proper response, "Yes, I do, but I'm very rusty." A crowd seemed to suddenly gather behind Yuki, all holding expectant looks on their faces.
"Play for us!" Shigure shouted, holding up a hand encouragingly. Ayame held both clenched fists to his chest while nodding happily, whole-heartedly agreeing to the proposition.
"Please do, Akane!"
Akane felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of her face as she saw the requests fill in, and eventually caved in with a defeated sigh. "One song, I'm not very good." The group seemed satisfied and Akane retrieved the violin's carrying case, trudging out of the room sourly. She placed the black bag deftly on the table before unzipping it and pulling out the violin. The bright, white light glinted against the varnished wood's deep brown –almost red, coloring, reflecting Akane's blushing face.
The large family formed a semi-circle around Akane, some sitting on the couch, others on its armrests but most either on the floor or standing. Akane positioned the instrument against the crook of her neck and under her chin, her curled fingers pressed against the strings and her palm placed flat against the violin's narrow neck. The thin bow was placed atop the middle section of the violin, and with a slow draw, the slow and haunting music began**.
The piece started with the bow's slow, back and forth movement, the mellow pitch creating an eerie echoing sound. The tones transitioned from high to low as Akane drew the bow against the strings slowly, her eyes shut as she felt the effect her music had on her. The sound slowly deepened and faded as Akane ended the first verse, the song's speed subtly picking up as she reached its bridge –the violin's low tone turning a note higher as she continued the heartfelt performance.
The family stayed silent as she progressed with the piece. No one, not even Kyo or Hiro had a word to say as she played. Some had their head bowed respectfully. Others like Tohru, Momiji, Ritsu, Kisa and Kagura all had openly let the tears fall. Hiro, though trying very hard and stubbornly brushing away and stray tears, he couldn't deny that he too was affected by the sorrowful music.
It was truly amazing. Feeling the emotion Akane had put into those notes easily overcame the several mistakes she had made.
Hatori frowned at the sight of the youth's tears, turning his attention back to the woman performing. Yes, several mistakes had been made during the song's execution, but it had been easily over shadowed by the woman's solemn –almost scornful, expression. As if she was mourning along with the violin's sad tune. And before he knew it, he found that he couldn't have room in his heart to mock the teenagers' fallen tears because surprisingly, he found that he too had felt the tears coming. He too had felt the stinging wetness crowd his view. He too had felt the soft tears brink and almost spill over his eyelids.
He too had cried.
The Sohma doctor, the man of winter, Hatori had cried…all because of her. He didn't understand why! His better was judgment shadowed by the mere overwhelming sensation tears her music brought, and he resented her for it; hated her for it!
He hated her…for reminding him of Kana.
Shigure and Ayame were two of the ones sitting on the couch, the darker-haired one sporting a blank and empty look as he stared off into space, Ayame gripping tightly on his shirt's sleeve, his lower lip being bitten as the snake tried to keep the tears in. Haru stood beside the couch, his lower back resting against the arm rest and when his hands were found deep in his pockets and with white locks of hair shadowing his eyes, it wouldn't be surprising if he felt the surge of emotions, but still stayed tearless.
Kyo and Yuki listened without tears as well, that not being the only thing they had in common, but both were contemplating on the exact, same thing. The curse… The song hadn't been the kind that was meant to cheer them up immediately with a light and merry tune, because that is something Akane's piece did not obtain. No, it was a tune that silently mourned along with them, saying that it understood what they were feeling and came to cry with them.
Ruo did nothing but stay silent. He had not shed a single tear for it, nor had he felt anything. He had grown numb knowing that the music had been affecting his sister just as much, if not more, than her audience. He knew…he knew…
The song ended on a high-note as the bow made its final move across the strings; the high-pitched tone ringing hauntingly as the sound slowly faded and finally, disappeared.
Akane exhaled loudly while removing the violin from her neck, still not recovering from being drowned with the deep emotions as she played. She blinked up sheepishly as she met the eyes of her audience, giving a lopsided smile.
"That was intense." And with that statement, the applause started.
"That was amazing, Akane-san!"
"An outstanding performance, my dear!"
"Absolutely wonderful!"
"That was great, Ka-chan!"
"Good job, kiddo."
Everyone had given the blushing red head a word of praise; even Kyo had offered a kind smile and stiff pat on the shoulder. The only one left now was…
Hatori had locked eyes with Akane, an easy feat because of their positions directly in front of each other. Akane gave him an awkward smile and half-hearted shrug, not really knowing what to say in return for the kind words she had received from the others. Of course, she was aware of the fact that they had probably never heard another violin piece and had nothing to compare her playing to. And now that she had forgotten the state of emotional distress during her performance, the impact of the many mistakes she committed hit her full-blown. But still, it was nice to hear a compliment or two once in a while.
"You play beautifully, Akane-san." Hatori said with a slight bow of the head. Akane flushed at the polite gesture and returned a shaky one of her own.
"Thank you, Hatori-san." Shigure and Ayame seemed to have shared knowing glances, throwing the two individuals teasing looks. But just as they were about to point this out to effectively humiliate the doctors, a slow –almost mocking applause came from the apartment's doorway. All heads turned to the sound's origination, most giving surprised yelps when they saw the lone figure standing in front of the door.
A woman was found there, standing tall and proudly at around 5'6, strawberry blonde hair and light blue eyes complimenting nicely with her light brown skin. A light brown beret contrasted with her pale hair, a leather jacket hugging the outward curve of her chest and the sexily rounded hips perfectly. Stilettos adorned her feet, as well as a small handbag thrown carelessly over her shoulder. Her apparel screamed expensive, and each and every one of them could tell.
"As expected from the great Akane Yoshikuni." she stated, a smirk gracing her red coated lips.
The Yoshikuni gaped in shock as recognition dawned in their matching green eyes, stuttering out the only word, or name, currently comprehendible in their vocabulary.
"Sakura!?!"
End Chapter 10
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*- This is where Momiji told Tohru about Hatori's past with Kana. Wow, that place has had a lot of special moments, huh?
**- Listen to the music at: http:// www. youtube. com/ watch?v=7oYiuHdiVDo&feature=related (remove spaces, if you can't tell, ^^)! Ironically enough…well, you'll get it once you open the window. You'll laugh, seriously.
A/N: Oh~! Another cliffie! Muahahaha…I love cliffies (but only when I'm writing them, when I'm the reader it's just…-shivers). Well, that was a long chapter! And very detailed, I apologize if you guys get bored while reading it –I was on a roll! Hope you guys enjoyed it and sorrie again in advance if I do not post 15 chapters by the end of the week, read my profile and you'll understand why! XD Oh yeah, please inform me of any grammatical and spelling errors, I hurried to post this one! :) Soo…review and subscribe and until next time! :D Byiiez!