Chapter 7
Shipwrecked
Nami sat in the cool, dark living room, and impatiently tapped her fingertips on the side of the chair as a parent would when their child stayed out past curfew. It was morning already, and Hatori wasn't back yet. She knew that he was in good hands with Ayame, how ever absurd that may actually sound. She realized that beneath the dramatic cover Ayame was a deeply caring person, and it was obvious that he focused a lot of this energy on Hatori and Shigure.
Nami sighed. She wanted to let Hatori know that the situation has been averted and Akito is alright, if not giddy, with the idea of Kana returning. Akito liked controversy. He liked stirring the pot, and throwing in an occasional venomous herb. Kana returning to subtly torture Hatori with her existence was like a new twist in the soap opera, and Akito didn't even need to pull any strings for this to work out; it was interesting to him.
Still, Hatori should be informed that coming back to the Sohma estate wouldn't provoke any unpleasantness. Nami realized that he wasn't afraid to return since he was unwilling to leave in the first place. Shigure and Ayame must be reluctant to let him return due to the common knowledge of Akito's opinion of Kana.
Nami couldn't very well stroll over to Shigure's house and let everyone know that the situation has worked itself out rather nicely, and skip back to the compound with Hatori at her arm. She realized that the best alternative would be to call Shigure, tell him that she has spoken with Akito, and to stop being paranoid and let Hatori come home.
Nami silently found the phone, in case Akito would have some strange issue with her using it. She dialed Shigure's number which was conveniently placed next to the phone. It rang once, twice.. three.. four..
"What?!" The harsh voice on the other line startled her, and she thought for a moment that she dialed the wrong number. The angry tone wouldn't be that of soft-spoken Tohru or of suave Shigure. Definitely not the tone of a gentle Yuki. Nami sighed as she realized the scenario that was most likely playing out in the house at the moment.
"Kyou-Neko needs to stop fighting with Yuki." Nami gave him a cross look that he couldn't see, but would surely feel in her manner.
"Nami?" He paused.
"Hai, and it wouldn't hurt if you were more pleasant answering the phone."
Kyou scrunched his eyebrows. First Tohru makes leeks, then Yuki shoves them down his throat, and now this. It just wasn't his day. "Is there anything you want?"
"I wanted to talk to Shigure."
"He left with Hatori."
"Ne? Good, I'm glad they're coming back."
Kyou was about to hang up the phone after a moment of silence, but Nami caught him just in time. "Ano, Kyou?" He detected that familiar alteration in her tone.
"Hai?"
"Have you thought about what I said to you? About the family?"
"They were pretty words, but complete crap otherwise." Kyou's thoughts wondered to the things that Nami said to him upon leaving the house a few days ago. For a short moment, he let them get to him; to let him believe that maybe it was the family that he wanted attention from, not acceptence into the Juunishi. That moment did not last very long as he quickly assured himself that beating Yuki would be far easier than having the Sohma family look at him as one of their own.
"I'm disappointed that you dismissed it so fast." Nami said. "You're wrong, though. There's nothing you can do to rewrite a legend."
"I hate it when you do that. Do you think I'm stupid? I know I can't change the past!"
Nami sighed. "You don't like being told the truth, do you? No wonder you still think you can get somewhere by fighting Yuki. Sometimes I'm surprised that he doesn't just let you win so you can see that it doesn't change anything at all."
"Shut up, you have to right to say things like that." Kyou was doing an amazingly good job of not letting his anger boil over. He spoke to her in a calm way, but she felt the tension in his voice.
"Kyou, don't be upset. I just want you to realize what's happening," she replied coolly. "I want you to see that your family is more important than something that happened millennia ago."
"You wouldn't understand."
"Come to the party, Kyou." Nami's voice slowly and inconspicuously returned to its regular pitch.
"I'm not welcome there; I haven't been for centuries." Kyou was almost barking at her, so she decided to soothe her voice as much as possible.
"Don't come for the others, don't even come for me. Just be here for yourself so that people have a chance to love you. You haven't given them one yet."
Kyou's anger leveled off to its lowest degree. The idea of being an actual part, belong, and getting along.. it was such a foreign concept for him. He stayed silent for a moment, and almost forgot that he was still holding the phone.
"Ano, Kyou?" Nami called to him to make sure he was still paying attention.
"Hai," he said in the softest manner he's been able to muster for quite a while now.
"Will you come?"
Kyou didn't respond, but she could still hear him breathing through the phone.
"Kyou, will you come?" She repeated.
"Maybe," he said, and immediately felt strange for it.
"Arigato.." Nami replied softly, and smiled at the other end of the line. They hung up the phone in unison and she sat back in the couch, glad that she had finally managed to get through to him. She knew that behind his tough exterior there was a person with true feelings. If she believed that everyone, even Akito, needed to be loved and accepted, it must be true for Kyou without a doubt.
Nami realized that Shigure and Hatori would be here any moment, and it might be nice to meet them upon their arrival. She made her way out of Akito's house and towards where Hatori lived. She saw his car parked there, and realized that they must've gotten home while she was on the phone with Kyou.
As she approached the door, Nami heard Shigure's voice in a way she's never heard it before. He sounded.. serious, was it?
"He said that this isn't a trick," Shigure said and Nami scolded herself for eavesdropping. It was wrong, although... sometimes very helpful.
"He's said that before," Hatori replied. "It doesn't make sense that he would allow this. He's never allowed anyone else.."
"Even if it was a lie, then I'm certain that whatever the purpose, he's doing it for the better good," Shigure countered, and said something else that was too muffled for her to hear. Hatori then replied in an equally muffled voice, and Nami fought with herself about rather to continue listening or to leave right away.
"In that case, it must be true. You'd never lie to me, ne Ha-san?" Shigure said, regaining the familiarity in his voice. Nami decided to end it there, in case she heard something she didn't want to. She knocked on the door, and Hatori opened it within seconds.
"Nami, how was everything?" He asked, that obviously forced smile disfiguring his lips again. After all this time, and he was still pretending for her.
"Well," she replied, but Shigure interrupted her before she could give any details.
"Nami, Nami, Nami!" He sang and danced around her. She giggled, and thought that Shigure was very good at smiling. Then again, maybe he was just a better actor than Hatori.
"Grow up," Hatori mumbled, and pulled out a cigarette from a drawer. He searched around for a lighter as Shigure blatantly ignored the comment.
"Ano, Nami-kun... have you had a chance to speak with Akito?" Shigure asked as he picked up a lighter from a table and waved it in front of Hatori's face.
"Hai, he took it surprisingly well."
"Really? And to think that we almost tied Ha-san down last night in fear that he'll return to a very angry Akito." Shigure giggled. Suddenly, his voice got serious, which was surprisingly uncharacteristic of him, and he raised his eyebrows at Hatori. "It's not fair. He never lets me tie him down."
Hatori rolled his eyes and Nami became a bit nervous, a drop of sweat appearing on her forehead. "That's a little too much information than I'd like to know," she said, waving her hand at him.
"Maa, Nami-kun. I just tease, don't take me so seriously!" Shigure laughed it off.
"I'll go speak with him now," Hatori announced suddenly, and began walking towards the door. Neither Nami nor Shigure said anything. Hatori turned around, and a very annoyed look crept into his eyes. He said, "Is everyone alright with that?"
Shigure nodded, and grinned at him. "Ha-san, we only want what's best for you," he said and sat back in a chair. "If Nami-kun says it's alright, then I see nothing wrong with it." He turned his attention to her.
"It's alright," she said quietly, not meeting their eyes. She hadn't expected Shigure and Ayame to make such a big of a deal out of Hatori coming home. He must be annoyed by the fact that he's being sheltered so much. She hoped that he wouldn't be resentful towards her since it was her idea that he leave. Without another word, Hatori stepped outside and made his way towards the main house.
"How are the preparations going for the New Year's party?" Shigure questioned after a while, hoping to change the mood in the room.
"It's tomorrow night, ne? I've completely forgotten about it with everything that's been happening," Nami answered, her voice hiding a note of concern for Hatori.
"You will be there, won't you?"
"Hai," she replied, vaguely paying attention to him. She wondered if Hatori felt that he was being treated like a child. Everyone made such a big deal out of this, and she felt partially responsible. She hoped that he didn't get the impression that she wants to fight his battles for him.
"Nami.." Shigure said, his tone altering slightly. She was brought back from her daze, and finally looked up at him. "He isn't angry," he said and smiled at her.
Shipwrecked
Nami sat in the cool, dark living room, and impatiently tapped her fingertips on the side of the chair as a parent would when their child stayed out past curfew. It was morning already, and Hatori wasn't back yet. She knew that he was in good hands with Ayame, how ever absurd that may actually sound. She realized that beneath the dramatic cover Ayame was a deeply caring person, and it was obvious that he focused a lot of this energy on Hatori and Shigure.
Nami sighed. She wanted to let Hatori know that the situation has been averted and Akito is alright, if not giddy, with the idea of Kana returning. Akito liked controversy. He liked stirring the pot, and throwing in an occasional venomous herb. Kana returning to subtly torture Hatori with her existence was like a new twist in the soap opera, and Akito didn't even need to pull any strings for this to work out; it was interesting to him.
Still, Hatori should be informed that coming back to the Sohma estate wouldn't provoke any unpleasantness. Nami realized that he wasn't afraid to return since he was unwilling to leave in the first place. Shigure and Ayame must be reluctant to let him return due to the common knowledge of Akito's opinion of Kana.
Nami couldn't very well stroll over to Shigure's house and let everyone know that the situation has worked itself out rather nicely, and skip back to the compound with Hatori at her arm. She realized that the best alternative would be to call Shigure, tell him that she has spoken with Akito, and to stop being paranoid and let Hatori come home.
Nami silently found the phone, in case Akito would have some strange issue with her using it. She dialed Shigure's number which was conveniently placed next to the phone. It rang once, twice.. three.. four..
"What?!" The harsh voice on the other line startled her, and she thought for a moment that she dialed the wrong number. The angry tone wouldn't be that of soft-spoken Tohru or of suave Shigure. Definitely not the tone of a gentle Yuki. Nami sighed as she realized the scenario that was most likely playing out in the house at the moment.
"Kyou-Neko needs to stop fighting with Yuki." Nami gave him a cross look that he couldn't see, but would surely feel in her manner.
"Nami?" He paused.
"Hai, and it wouldn't hurt if you were more pleasant answering the phone."
Kyou scrunched his eyebrows. First Tohru makes leeks, then Yuki shoves them down his throat, and now this. It just wasn't his day. "Is there anything you want?"
"I wanted to talk to Shigure."
"He left with Hatori."
"Ne? Good, I'm glad they're coming back."
Kyou was about to hang up the phone after a moment of silence, but Nami caught him just in time. "Ano, Kyou?" He detected that familiar alteration in her tone.
"Hai?"
"Have you thought about what I said to you? About the family?"
"They were pretty words, but complete crap otherwise." Kyou's thoughts wondered to the things that Nami said to him upon leaving the house a few days ago. For a short moment, he let them get to him; to let him believe that maybe it was the family that he wanted attention from, not acceptence into the Juunishi. That moment did not last very long as he quickly assured himself that beating Yuki would be far easier than having the Sohma family look at him as one of their own.
"I'm disappointed that you dismissed it so fast." Nami said. "You're wrong, though. There's nothing you can do to rewrite a legend."
"I hate it when you do that. Do you think I'm stupid? I know I can't change the past!"
Nami sighed. "You don't like being told the truth, do you? No wonder you still think you can get somewhere by fighting Yuki. Sometimes I'm surprised that he doesn't just let you win so you can see that it doesn't change anything at all."
"Shut up, you have to right to say things like that." Kyou was doing an amazingly good job of not letting his anger boil over. He spoke to her in a calm way, but she felt the tension in his voice.
"Kyou, don't be upset. I just want you to realize what's happening," she replied coolly. "I want you to see that your family is more important than something that happened millennia ago."
"You wouldn't understand."
"Come to the party, Kyou." Nami's voice slowly and inconspicuously returned to its regular pitch.
"I'm not welcome there; I haven't been for centuries." Kyou was almost barking at her, so she decided to soothe her voice as much as possible.
"Don't come for the others, don't even come for me. Just be here for yourself so that people have a chance to love you. You haven't given them one yet."
Kyou's anger leveled off to its lowest degree. The idea of being an actual part, belong, and getting along.. it was such a foreign concept for him. He stayed silent for a moment, and almost forgot that he was still holding the phone.
"Ano, Kyou?" Nami called to him to make sure he was still paying attention.
"Hai," he said in the softest manner he's been able to muster for quite a while now.
"Will you come?"
Kyou didn't respond, but she could still hear him breathing through the phone.
"Kyou, will you come?" She repeated.
"Maybe," he said, and immediately felt strange for it.
"Arigato.." Nami replied softly, and smiled at the other end of the line. They hung up the phone in unison and she sat back in the couch, glad that she had finally managed to get through to him. She knew that behind his tough exterior there was a person with true feelings. If she believed that everyone, even Akito, needed to be loved and accepted, it must be true for Kyou without a doubt.
Nami realized that Shigure and Hatori would be here any moment, and it might be nice to meet them upon their arrival. She made her way out of Akito's house and towards where Hatori lived. She saw his car parked there, and realized that they must've gotten home while she was on the phone with Kyou.
As she approached the door, Nami heard Shigure's voice in a way she's never heard it before. He sounded.. serious, was it?
"He said that this isn't a trick," Shigure said and Nami scolded herself for eavesdropping. It was wrong, although... sometimes very helpful.
"He's said that before," Hatori replied. "It doesn't make sense that he would allow this. He's never allowed anyone else.."
"Even if it was a lie, then I'm certain that whatever the purpose, he's doing it for the better good," Shigure countered, and said something else that was too muffled for her to hear. Hatori then replied in an equally muffled voice, and Nami fought with herself about rather to continue listening or to leave right away.
"In that case, it must be true. You'd never lie to me, ne Ha-san?" Shigure said, regaining the familiarity in his voice. Nami decided to end it there, in case she heard something she didn't want to. She knocked on the door, and Hatori opened it within seconds.
"Nami, how was everything?" He asked, that obviously forced smile disfiguring his lips again. After all this time, and he was still pretending for her.
"Well," she replied, but Shigure interrupted her before she could give any details.
"Nami, Nami, Nami!" He sang and danced around her. She giggled, and thought that Shigure was very good at smiling. Then again, maybe he was just a better actor than Hatori.
"Grow up," Hatori mumbled, and pulled out a cigarette from a drawer. He searched around for a lighter as Shigure blatantly ignored the comment.
"Ano, Nami-kun... have you had a chance to speak with Akito?" Shigure asked as he picked up a lighter from a table and waved it in front of Hatori's face.
"Hai, he took it surprisingly well."
"Really? And to think that we almost tied Ha-san down last night in fear that he'll return to a very angry Akito." Shigure giggled. Suddenly, his voice got serious, which was surprisingly uncharacteristic of him, and he raised his eyebrows at Hatori. "It's not fair. He never lets me tie him down."
Hatori rolled his eyes and Nami became a bit nervous, a drop of sweat appearing on her forehead. "That's a little too much information than I'd like to know," she said, waving her hand at him.
"Maa, Nami-kun. I just tease, don't take me so seriously!" Shigure laughed it off.
"I'll go speak with him now," Hatori announced suddenly, and began walking towards the door. Neither Nami nor Shigure said anything. Hatori turned around, and a very annoyed look crept into his eyes. He said, "Is everyone alright with that?"
Shigure nodded, and grinned at him. "Ha-san, we only want what's best for you," he said and sat back in a chair. "If Nami-kun says it's alright, then I see nothing wrong with it." He turned his attention to her.
"It's alright," she said quietly, not meeting their eyes. She hadn't expected Shigure and Ayame to make such a big of a deal out of Hatori coming home. He must be annoyed by the fact that he's being sheltered so much. She hoped that he wouldn't be resentful towards her since it was her idea that he leave. Without another word, Hatori stepped outside and made his way towards the main house.
"How are the preparations going for the New Year's party?" Shigure questioned after a while, hoping to change the mood in the room.
"It's tomorrow night, ne? I've completely forgotten about it with everything that's been happening," Nami answered, her voice hiding a note of concern for Hatori.
"You will be there, won't you?"
"Hai," she replied, vaguely paying attention to him. She wondered if Hatori felt that he was being treated like a child. Everyone made such a big deal out of this, and she felt partially responsible. She hoped that he didn't get the impression that she wants to fight his battles for him.
"Nami.." Shigure said, his tone altering slightly. She was brought back from her daze, and finally looked up at him. "He isn't angry," he said and smiled at her.