MAKING MERRY
Chapter 2 - To Invite or Not to Invite
"What's wrong, Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked.
He'd just come into the room where Kyou and Yuki were watching the television while Tohru was seated at the table with a stack of cards in front of her. Seeing a list of names beside the stack, he realized that she was making invitations to the Christmas party. She really did seem to be going all out for it, he mused. The past few days had been a flurry of activity as she seemed to clean the entire house from top to bottom with triple the effort she usually put into it. All that and performing her usual duties and part-time job. She'd also gotten the decorations for the party together although she said she'd wait until the day before the party to put them up. They had all worried that she was doing too much but she had waved away their attempts to help and had gone about her chores with her usual light-hearted spirit. Sometimes, she could even be heard humming, a sure sign that she was happy. However, that didn't seem to be the case at the moment. Now, she appeared to be scowling, a rare enough event considering her cheerful personality to raise some concern.
"Ah, Shigure-san!" she exclaimed, face brightening. "Perhaps Shigure-san can help since you're such a good writer!"
Snorts from Kyou and Yuki had Shigure frowning but he refrained from saying anything to them in favor of Tohru's dilemma. Actually, he thought of something to get back at them just a bit, and he wouldn't even have to speak to them to do it! He sat down beside Tohru under the guise of seeing what it was that she was working on. Then he leaned in closer to her, playfully, successfully getting a rise out of the other boys as they both glared at him for getting too near. Pushing it a little further, Shigure tilted his head a little closer until his nose was nearly touching her hair. Then he took a deep breath, as if he was inhaling her scent. He swore he heard low growls coming from each of them. He glanced up in their direction and winked.
"Shi-gu-re," Kyou snarled, drawing out the syllables of his name one by one.
Well, that was enough fun, Shigure thought. Tohru was beginning to look panicked and he really didn't feel like trying to settle her nerves down again. Plus, there was sure to be an outburst the way the other two were nearly vibrating in rage and he didn't want to have to fix his house again. To pacify the boys, he leaned back away. But he still ignored them and focused his attention on the girl, knowing that it would further irritate them.
"So," he started, giving her a charming smile. "What can I help give my expert opinion to?"
Tohru blinked. "Ah, well.I was trying to make party invitations to give to everyone but," she looked downcast, "I was afraid of writing anything that might be offensive."
Shigure looked surprised. "Tohru-kun, I'm sure no one would think of taking any offense at anything you'd write." If anything, it might turn out sounding too polite or formal, he thought. "I'm sure anything you write will be fine."
"That's right," Yuki said as Kyou nodded.
A relieved look crossed her features. "Thank goodness!" She clapped her hands in relief. "If Shigure-san says it's alright, then I'll just leave Akito-san's invitation like it is."
A shocked silence claimed the room.
Yuki managed to recover first. "Honda-san," he said with a strained voice, "you're inviting Akito?"
"Of course," she replied, not noticing anything wrong. "After all, if I'm inviting all the Soumas I've met, then it would be rude not to invite Akito- san, too. Right?" She looked down at the invitation as she pondered. "I wonder what Hana-chan and Uo-chan will think of him."
The three males exchanged similar glances of discomfort. Having Tohru's friends and Akito meet was a disaster too horrible to contemplate. And at a Christmas party, no less! Somehow, they had to get her to change her mind about sending and invitation to Akito. So far, the news of the party had been kept tightly under wraps with Akito none the wiser. To send an invitation was like asking all the dooms of hell for a friendly visit. They had to come up with some way to stop her. But how?
Shigure had an idea. "Tohru-kun, we really shouldn't bother Akito-san with it."
"Bother?" Tohru echoed. "Akito-san would think an invitation is bothersome?"
Yuki caught on fast. "Yes, he would."
"That's right," Kyou was quick add.
"Really?" Tohru asked. "I thought people would usually be happy to be invited to a party. Could it be that Akito-san doesn't like parties?" Then something else crossed her mind. "Or maybe he just doesn't like Christmas?"
"He hates Christmas," Yuki said while Kyou and Shigure nodded. "That's why giving him an invitation to a Christmas party would annoy him."
"Oh." Tohru was disappointed but then cheered up. "So we just won't say it's for Christmas!"
The three stared at her blankly.
"Honda-san, what do you mean?"
"Well, if Akito-san only dislikes Christmas," she explained, "then we can just have a regular party. It doesn't have to be a Christmas party. So Akito-san can still come!"
"No!" Kyou shouted, only to regret it when Tohru cringed. He worked fast to come up with an explanation that would smooth things over. "That guy hates parties too!"
Tohru looked a little doubtful. "But the New Years' Jyunnishi party."
"Ah, Tohru-kun, Tohru-kun." Shigure gained her attention. "That's the only party Akito-san likes. Really, he hates everything else," he lied.
Shigure knew that if Akito were to get wind of it, he would love to come to the Christmas party, if only to spoil it. Whenever anyone was happy, Akito wanted to turn it into misery. So for the sake of saving everyone's merriment, this was a necessary measure. Besides, it was impossible to imagine Akito making merry with everyone else. A brief image flashed through Shigure's mind of the head of the Souma clan surrounded by silvery tinsel and wearing a red Santa cap. He shuddered and noticed Yuki and Kyou doing the same.
"Honda-san." Yuki shook off the horrible image that had popped up in his head. "Really, it would be best not to involve Akito." For everyone's sake, he concluded silently.
"Right," added Kyou. "It would only be trouble." For us, he thought.
"See, Tohru-kun," Shigure said. "Sending an invitation would be a nuisance. So it's best to not inconvenience him with one."
Tohru let out a little sigh. "I don't want to cause any trouble for Akito- san. If everyone thinks it's better not to invite-"
"We do!" the males broke in.
"Then if it's not too rude-"
"It isn't!" they interrupted again.
Although she was temporarily taken aback by the forcefulness of their outburst, she quickly regained her equilibrium when she realized it was proof that inviting Akito really would be burdensome. It was very sweet, Tohru thought, for all of them to go through the effort to help her avoid making a mistake by hassling Akito-san with something as trivial as an unwanted Christmas party. Akito-san was very lucky to have so many people looking out for his welfare.
"Well, then," Tohru said. "It can't be helped. Since I don't want to make things difficult for Akito-san, I guess I won't invite him."
She didn't catch the low masculine sighs of relief as she pushed the half- finished card she'd been working on off to the side, away from the ones she'd already completed. It was too bad that Akito-san didn't like Christmas or parties. She had thought that it would have been a great time to try and get along with him better. It was a good thing the others stopped her before she antagonized him any further. She shook away such thinking. After all, she still had so much left to do, including a few invitations left to write so they could be sent off tomorrow. But there was something she had to do before getting back to work. She turned the full force of her smile upon the seated males.
"I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't asked you about the invitation. It's a good thing I did or I would have invited Akito-san without considering his feelings. Really, really, thank you very much for your help!" She inclined her head in a slight bow to express her gratitude.
"No, no, Tohru-kun." Shigure waved away her words. "Think nothing of it."
"We were happy to help this time, Honda-san," Yuki said, feeling exhausted.
"Yeah," sighed Kyou, also tired. Then he got up and headed for the exit. "I'm going to rest for a bit."
"Ah! Is Kyou-kun feeling alright?"
"Yeah," Kyou replied to Tohru's words. "I just need a little break, that's all." Seeing the concerned glance she shot him, he paused. "So don't worry about it," he bit out before leaving the room.
After he was gone, Yuki got up too. He gave Tohru a reassuring smile. "Honda-san, please excuse me. No need for concern," he told her after seeing her expression. "I just need to lie for a little while."
Shigure smiled slightly after Yuki had left. Those two must be exhausted, he thought, after the anxiety that had given birth after the threat of Akito's presence at the party was announced. The stress of trying to convince Tohru against sending an invitation without dampening her high spirits must have tired them out. Come to think of it, Shigure was feeling in need of a little rest himself.
"Sorry, Tohru-kun. I've got some writing I have to get done so."
"That's okay! I've still got some more to do," she said, gesturing to the cards on the table.
"Then I'll see you later." With a last little flirtatious smile, Shigure rose and excused himself, leaving Tohru to finish addressing cards, as he made his leave as Kyou and Yuki had done before him.
And although the three males went their separate ways for the moment, each made a silent vow to pay closer attention to the rest of the holiday party preparations.
"What's wrong, Tohru-kun?" Shigure asked.
He'd just come into the room where Kyou and Yuki were watching the television while Tohru was seated at the table with a stack of cards in front of her. Seeing a list of names beside the stack, he realized that she was making invitations to the Christmas party. She really did seem to be going all out for it, he mused. The past few days had been a flurry of activity as she seemed to clean the entire house from top to bottom with triple the effort she usually put into it. All that and performing her usual duties and part-time job. She'd also gotten the decorations for the party together although she said she'd wait until the day before the party to put them up. They had all worried that she was doing too much but she had waved away their attempts to help and had gone about her chores with her usual light-hearted spirit. Sometimes, she could even be heard humming, a sure sign that she was happy. However, that didn't seem to be the case at the moment. Now, she appeared to be scowling, a rare enough event considering her cheerful personality to raise some concern.
"Ah, Shigure-san!" she exclaimed, face brightening. "Perhaps Shigure-san can help since you're such a good writer!"
Snorts from Kyou and Yuki had Shigure frowning but he refrained from saying anything to them in favor of Tohru's dilemma. Actually, he thought of something to get back at them just a bit, and he wouldn't even have to speak to them to do it! He sat down beside Tohru under the guise of seeing what it was that she was working on. Then he leaned in closer to her, playfully, successfully getting a rise out of the other boys as they both glared at him for getting too near. Pushing it a little further, Shigure tilted his head a little closer until his nose was nearly touching her hair. Then he took a deep breath, as if he was inhaling her scent. He swore he heard low growls coming from each of them. He glanced up in their direction and winked.
"Shi-gu-re," Kyou snarled, drawing out the syllables of his name one by one.
Well, that was enough fun, Shigure thought. Tohru was beginning to look panicked and he really didn't feel like trying to settle her nerves down again. Plus, there was sure to be an outburst the way the other two were nearly vibrating in rage and he didn't want to have to fix his house again. To pacify the boys, he leaned back away. But he still ignored them and focused his attention on the girl, knowing that it would further irritate them.
"So," he started, giving her a charming smile. "What can I help give my expert opinion to?"
Tohru blinked. "Ah, well.I was trying to make party invitations to give to everyone but," she looked downcast, "I was afraid of writing anything that might be offensive."
Shigure looked surprised. "Tohru-kun, I'm sure no one would think of taking any offense at anything you'd write." If anything, it might turn out sounding too polite or formal, he thought. "I'm sure anything you write will be fine."
"That's right," Yuki said as Kyou nodded.
A relieved look crossed her features. "Thank goodness!" She clapped her hands in relief. "If Shigure-san says it's alright, then I'll just leave Akito-san's invitation like it is."
A shocked silence claimed the room.
Yuki managed to recover first. "Honda-san," he said with a strained voice, "you're inviting Akito?"
"Of course," she replied, not noticing anything wrong. "After all, if I'm inviting all the Soumas I've met, then it would be rude not to invite Akito- san, too. Right?" She looked down at the invitation as she pondered. "I wonder what Hana-chan and Uo-chan will think of him."
The three males exchanged similar glances of discomfort. Having Tohru's friends and Akito meet was a disaster too horrible to contemplate. And at a Christmas party, no less! Somehow, they had to get her to change her mind about sending and invitation to Akito. So far, the news of the party had been kept tightly under wraps with Akito none the wiser. To send an invitation was like asking all the dooms of hell for a friendly visit. They had to come up with some way to stop her. But how?
Shigure had an idea. "Tohru-kun, we really shouldn't bother Akito-san with it."
"Bother?" Tohru echoed. "Akito-san would think an invitation is bothersome?"
Yuki caught on fast. "Yes, he would."
"That's right," Kyou was quick add.
"Really?" Tohru asked. "I thought people would usually be happy to be invited to a party. Could it be that Akito-san doesn't like parties?" Then something else crossed her mind. "Or maybe he just doesn't like Christmas?"
"He hates Christmas," Yuki said while Kyou and Shigure nodded. "That's why giving him an invitation to a Christmas party would annoy him."
"Oh." Tohru was disappointed but then cheered up. "So we just won't say it's for Christmas!"
The three stared at her blankly.
"Honda-san, what do you mean?"
"Well, if Akito-san only dislikes Christmas," she explained, "then we can just have a regular party. It doesn't have to be a Christmas party. So Akito-san can still come!"
"No!" Kyou shouted, only to regret it when Tohru cringed. He worked fast to come up with an explanation that would smooth things over. "That guy hates parties too!"
Tohru looked a little doubtful. "But the New Years' Jyunnishi party."
"Ah, Tohru-kun, Tohru-kun." Shigure gained her attention. "That's the only party Akito-san likes. Really, he hates everything else," he lied.
Shigure knew that if Akito were to get wind of it, he would love to come to the Christmas party, if only to spoil it. Whenever anyone was happy, Akito wanted to turn it into misery. So for the sake of saving everyone's merriment, this was a necessary measure. Besides, it was impossible to imagine Akito making merry with everyone else. A brief image flashed through Shigure's mind of the head of the Souma clan surrounded by silvery tinsel and wearing a red Santa cap. He shuddered and noticed Yuki and Kyou doing the same.
"Honda-san." Yuki shook off the horrible image that had popped up in his head. "Really, it would be best not to involve Akito." For everyone's sake, he concluded silently.
"Right," added Kyou. "It would only be trouble." For us, he thought.
"See, Tohru-kun," Shigure said. "Sending an invitation would be a nuisance. So it's best to not inconvenience him with one."
Tohru let out a little sigh. "I don't want to cause any trouble for Akito- san. If everyone thinks it's better not to invite-"
"We do!" the males broke in.
"Then if it's not too rude-"
"It isn't!" they interrupted again.
Although she was temporarily taken aback by the forcefulness of their outburst, she quickly regained her equilibrium when she realized it was proof that inviting Akito really would be burdensome. It was very sweet, Tohru thought, for all of them to go through the effort to help her avoid making a mistake by hassling Akito-san with something as trivial as an unwanted Christmas party. Akito-san was very lucky to have so many people looking out for his welfare.
"Well, then," Tohru said. "It can't be helped. Since I don't want to make things difficult for Akito-san, I guess I won't invite him."
She didn't catch the low masculine sighs of relief as she pushed the half- finished card she'd been working on off to the side, away from the ones she'd already completed. It was too bad that Akito-san didn't like Christmas or parties. She had thought that it would have been a great time to try and get along with him better. It was a good thing the others stopped her before she antagonized him any further. She shook away such thinking. After all, she still had so much left to do, including a few invitations left to write so they could be sent off tomorrow. But there was something she had to do before getting back to work. She turned the full force of her smile upon the seated males.
"I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't asked you about the invitation. It's a good thing I did or I would have invited Akito-san without considering his feelings. Really, really, thank you very much for your help!" She inclined her head in a slight bow to express her gratitude.
"No, no, Tohru-kun." Shigure waved away her words. "Think nothing of it."
"We were happy to help this time, Honda-san," Yuki said, feeling exhausted.
"Yeah," sighed Kyou, also tired. Then he got up and headed for the exit. "I'm going to rest for a bit."
"Ah! Is Kyou-kun feeling alright?"
"Yeah," Kyou replied to Tohru's words. "I just need a little break, that's all." Seeing the concerned glance she shot him, he paused. "So don't worry about it," he bit out before leaving the room.
After he was gone, Yuki got up too. He gave Tohru a reassuring smile. "Honda-san, please excuse me. No need for concern," he told her after seeing her expression. "I just need to lie for a little while."
Shigure smiled slightly after Yuki had left. Those two must be exhausted, he thought, after the anxiety that had given birth after the threat of Akito's presence at the party was announced. The stress of trying to convince Tohru against sending an invitation without dampening her high spirits must have tired them out. Come to think of it, Shigure was feeling in need of a little rest himself.
"Sorry, Tohru-kun. I've got some writing I have to get done so."
"That's okay! I've still got some more to do," she said, gesturing to the cards on the table.
"Then I'll see you later." With a last little flirtatious smile, Shigure rose and excused himself, leaving Tohru to finish addressing cards, as he made his leave as Kyou and Yuki had done before him.
And although the three males went their separate ways for the moment, each made a silent vow to pay closer attention to the rest of the holiday party preparations.