Chapter 8
The Calm Before The Storm
Only one hour left until all the guests arrive, and Nami couldn't remember the last time she was so nervous. Many things would depend on this night, she knew that well. There would be so many people there from the Sohma family, and very few of them even knew that she existed. What would be their reaction when she walks through the door? What explanation would she offer?
Nami sat in her room, and watched the birds outside her window. They were all fighting over some bread crumbs on the ground. Her mind wondered to how Akito would act in a setting like tonight. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her: Yuki would surely come, and that could spell disaster. She hoped that Akito would restrain himself from doing anything.. inappropriate. More importantly, how would Hatori react to seeing Kana with her husband for the first time? He wouldn't show it, but she knew that he would be dying inside. What would happen if Haru got upset? Would they be able to control his temper?
Although all these things were ruining her mood, there was one thought that kept Nami optimistic about the upcoming event; Kyou would be there. She wondered briefly why it was such a big deal to him that he never came before. If Akito said that it was alright, what would have possibly prevented him all along? Akito was the only obstacle she could think of, and he seemed to rather casually dismiss the whole thing. Even though it might be slightly dangerous for Yuki to be there, she looked forward to seeing him again. Not to mention Tohru, the girl that was causing so much controversy in his heart. Nami was sick of wishing to be able to meet with her in person, and something always making it impossible. Not to mention Shigure. Even though he visited on a regular basis, she found that she could never get enough of his cheerful character.
Nami looked over at the clock, and realized that she allowed herself too much time to think. Shed be late if she didn't start getting ready soon, and that wouldn't make a good first impression on the other guests. Jumping down from the window ledge, she went in search of the dress Ayame made for her. She bathed already so all she had left to do was to get dressed.
After twenty minutes of working with the dress and her hair, Nami set out towards the building where the party was to be held. She looked over at the clock one last time, and realized that it would officially start in ten minutes. Perfect timing; she'd be there just in time.
As she made her way down the hall, she noticed that the door to Akito's room was shut. That wasn't very irregular, but she suddenly found herself curious if he had left yet. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Then again, Akito very rarely answered the door anyway.
She pushed it open just a crack, and looked inside. "Akito?" She called when she couldn't make out anything in the room. It was completely dark, with the exception of the moonlight shining through the window.
"What is it?" Akito's voice came from a shadowed corner of the room. He sounded calm, and maybe a bit contemplative. She wondered if he was thinking about tonight, too.
"Where are you?" She asked, taking a few steps into the room. His silhouette gradually appeared from the corner by his bed. He walked over to her, but she could only vaguely make out his face.
"All dressed up.." he said in a suspiciously sinister manner. He stood dangerously close to her, and she felt that something wasn't quite right. He smiled at her, and moved his fingers through her hair.
"You're in a good mood," she accused.
Akito merely laughed, and continued brushing her hair away from her face. "It's going to be a good night."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, becoming more suspicious.
His eyes widened and he looked hurt for a moment. "I'm just excited; it's a big night for the Sohma family. You always anticipate the worst from me," he said and his hand rested on her shoulder, pushing her closer to him.
"Well, what do you expect when you always do the worst?" She countered, trying to pull away. In order to keep her from escaping his grasp, Akito pushed her back towards him with his other hand. She held her palms up against him in hopes of putting some space in between them, but that didn't quite work out. She sometimes wondered how he can be so surprisingly strong despite his ill state.
"I'm not all that bad, am I?" He asked sinisterly, making her more nervous with each word. She found that although she wanted to reply, she couldn't find her voice. It had vanished somewhere along with her courage. She briefly thought about why she would be more scared when he's trying to be pleasant than she is when he is outwardly brutal. Maybe it was due to the truth behind these actions. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I'll be good tonight. I keep my promises."
"Let go," she managed to say, barely loud enough for him to hear. He obediently pulled away, and smiled at her.
He laughed slightly and said, "As you wish."
At that point, the door creaked open and Hatori's figure broke the light from the hallway. "The guests are arriving. We shouldn't be late," he said and moved aside, implying that they should leave now. Akito winked at Nami and headed for the doorway.
"You're right. It would be very rude of us to arrive late for such an important event," he remarked casually as he walked past Hatori, and down the hall.
Nami slowly composed herself and headed out, too. Hatori closed the door behind her. "Good timing," she said with a nervous laugh, not looking up at him.
"I'll return the favor," he replied, tone steady as always. "We can look out for each other." Without giving her much room to reply, he walked down the hall towards the same doors that Akito had departed through.
Nami smiled, glad that everything was alright between her and Hatori. She decided not to linger around, and quickly caught up to him on the walk to the building where the party was to be held. It was a large hall that never seemed to be used for anything other but that one night at the start of each year.
The entire scene was so brightly decorated, and illuminated by sparkling lights. The normally bare stairs that led into the hall were carpeted with a delicate, deep red material, and bouquets of crimson roses marked every other step. The walkway from the gate of the compound to the building was elaborately decorated as well. Colorful lanterns hung every couple of feet on either side of the walkway, giving the entire area an unusually cheerful appearance.
Nami stopped to admire the sight, and Hatori waited patiently for her on the first step. She suddenly recognized a smiling face past all the shining lights and ornate decorations.
"Gure-san!" She called to him, and he merrily skipped over to them. She could have sworn she felt Hatori roll his eyes behind them.
"Nami-kun, you look lovely. I must say, Ayame has outdone himself!" Shigure giggled, and quickly turned his attention to Hatori. "Ha-san, you look quite striking as well."
"I'm going inside," Hatori declared with more than enough annoyance in his voice to make the point.
"I'll go with you!" Shigure announced, and skipped joyously up the stairs behind him.
"Ano, Gure-san!" Nami called after him, and he turned around.
"Hai?" He said, momentarily forgetting about Hatori.
"Haven't Kyou, Yuki and Tohru come with you?"
"Tohru-kun?" Shigure said, with obvious surprise and confusion. "Iie.. she's at home, and Yuki stayed to keep her company."
"I see," Nami said, trying to process how this works out. Shigure then flashed her a big smile, and quickly caught up to Hatori on the stairs.
"Yo," said a voice from behind Nami. She turned to see a rather annoyed and frustrated Kyou, but a present Kyou nonetheless.
"Kyou-Neko!" She said, thrilled to see that he came. "You came!"
"Hm, I wasn't going to, but I figured anything would be better than spending another New Year's with the kuso nezumi," he replied, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Nami knew that there was more reason than that.
"Why didn't Yuki come?" She asked, and rubbed her hands together as the cold began to get to her, too.
Kyou shrugged. "To stay with Tohru, I guess."
Nami was glad that they would get some time together; she knew how much Yuki would be looking forward to that. He's said so in his letters, and she realized that he's taken quite a liking to Tohru. However, something wasn't clicking together.
"Why didn't they both just come?" She asked, as Kyou made his way towards the stairs. She followed him, not liking the cold anymore than the cat did.
"This is strictly a family thing," Kyou said, bitterness evident in his voice. "Tohru isn't allowed here tonight."
Nami suddenly stopped halfway up the stairs. "Then.." Kyou turned to look at her as she spoke. ".. why am I allowed to be here?"
He raised his eyebrows. Apparently, he hadn't thought about that either. "Well," he started as he looked around at all the other guests, "I wouldn't worry about it. You are more likely to be considered family here than I am."
Nami lowered her eyes, more depressed than cheered by the comment.
"Hurry up!" Kyou regained his signature harsh tone as he snapped her out of her daze. "It's freezing out here!" Nami managed a smile at him, and quickly followed him through the large entrance to the hall.
The Calm Before The Storm
Only one hour left until all the guests arrive, and Nami couldn't remember the last time she was so nervous. Many things would depend on this night, she knew that well. There would be so many people there from the Sohma family, and very few of them even knew that she existed. What would be their reaction when she walks through the door? What explanation would she offer?
Nami sat in her room, and watched the birds outside her window. They were all fighting over some bread crumbs on the ground. Her mind wondered to how Akito would act in a setting like tonight. Then a thought suddenly occurred to her: Yuki would surely come, and that could spell disaster. She hoped that Akito would restrain himself from doing anything.. inappropriate. More importantly, how would Hatori react to seeing Kana with her husband for the first time? He wouldn't show it, but she knew that he would be dying inside. What would happen if Haru got upset? Would they be able to control his temper?
Although all these things were ruining her mood, there was one thought that kept Nami optimistic about the upcoming event; Kyou would be there. She wondered briefly why it was such a big deal to him that he never came before. If Akito said that it was alright, what would have possibly prevented him all along? Akito was the only obstacle she could think of, and he seemed to rather casually dismiss the whole thing. Even though it might be slightly dangerous for Yuki to be there, she looked forward to seeing him again. Not to mention Tohru, the girl that was causing so much controversy in his heart. Nami was sick of wishing to be able to meet with her in person, and something always making it impossible. Not to mention Shigure. Even though he visited on a regular basis, she found that she could never get enough of his cheerful character.
Nami looked over at the clock, and realized that she allowed herself too much time to think. Shed be late if she didn't start getting ready soon, and that wouldn't make a good first impression on the other guests. Jumping down from the window ledge, she went in search of the dress Ayame made for her. She bathed already so all she had left to do was to get dressed.
After twenty minutes of working with the dress and her hair, Nami set out towards the building where the party was to be held. She looked over at the clock one last time, and realized that it would officially start in ten minutes. Perfect timing; she'd be there just in time.
As she made her way down the hall, she noticed that the door to Akito's room was shut. That wasn't very irregular, but she suddenly found herself curious if he had left yet. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Then again, Akito very rarely answered the door anyway.
She pushed it open just a crack, and looked inside. "Akito?" She called when she couldn't make out anything in the room. It was completely dark, with the exception of the moonlight shining through the window.
"What is it?" Akito's voice came from a shadowed corner of the room. He sounded calm, and maybe a bit contemplative. She wondered if he was thinking about tonight, too.
"Where are you?" She asked, taking a few steps into the room. His silhouette gradually appeared from the corner by his bed. He walked over to her, but she could only vaguely make out his face.
"All dressed up.." he said in a suspiciously sinister manner. He stood dangerously close to her, and she felt that something wasn't quite right. He smiled at her, and moved his fingers through her hair.
"You're in a good mood," she accused.
Akito merely laughed, and continued brushing her hair away from her face. "It's going to be a good night."
"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, becoming more suspicious.
His eyes widened and he looked hurt for a moment. "I'm just excited; it's a big night for the Sohma family. You always anticipate the worst from me," he said and his hand rested on her shoulder, pushing her closer to him.
"Well, what do you expect when you always do the worst?" She countered, trying to pull away. In order to keep her from escaping his grasp, Akito pushed her back towards him with his other hand. She held her palms up against him in hopes of putting some space in between them, but that didn't quite work out. She sometimes wondered how he can be so surprisingly strong despite his ill state.
"I'm not all that bad, am I?" He asked sinisterly, making her more nervous with each word. She found that although she wanted to reply, she couldn't find her voice. It had vanished somewhere along with her courage. She briefly thought about why she would be more scared when he's trying to be pleasant than she is when he is outwardly brutal. Maybe it was due to the truth behind these actions. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I'll be good tonight. I keep my promises."
"Let go," she managed to say, barely loud enough for him to hear. He obediently pulled away, and smiled at her.
He laughed slightly and said, "As you wish."
At that point, the door creaked open and Hatori's figure broke the light from the hallway. "The guests are arriving. We shouldn't be late," he said and moved aside, implying that they should leave now. Akito winked at Nami and headed for the doorway.
"You're right. It would be very rude of us to arrive late for such an important event," he remarked casually as he walked past Hatori, and down the hall.
Nami slowly composed herself and headed out, too. Hatori closed the door behind her. "Good timing," she said with a nervous laugh, not looking up at him.
"I'll return the favor," he replied, tone steady as always. "We can look out for each other." Without giving her much room to reply, he walked down the hall towards the same doors that Akito had departed through.
Nami smiled, glad that everything was alright between her and Hatori. She decided not to linger around, and quickly caught up to him on the walk to the building where the party was to be held. It was a large hall that never seemed to be used for anything other but that one night at the start of each year.
The entire scene was so brightly decorated, and illuminated by sparkling lights. The normally bare stairs that led into the hall were carpeted with a delicate, deep red material, and bouquets of crimson roses marked every other step. The walkway from the gate of the compound to the building was elaborately decorated as well. Colorful lanterns hung every couple of feet on either side of the walkway, giving the entire area an unusually cheerful appearance.
Nami stopped to admire the sight, and Hatori waited patiently for her on the first step. She suddenly recognized a smiling face past all the shining lights and ornate decorations.
"Gure-san!" She called to him, and he merrily skipped over to them. She could have sworn she felt Hatori roll his eyes behind them.
"Nami-kun, you look lovely. I must say, Ayame has outdone himself!" Shigure giggled, and quickly turned his attention to Hatori. "Ha-san, you look quite striking as well."
"I'm going inside," Hatori declared with more than enough annoyance in his voice to make the point.
"I'll go with you!" Shigure announced, and skipped joyously up the stairs behind him.
"Ano, Gure-san!" Nami called after him, and he turned around.
"Hai?" He said, momentarily forgetting about Hatori.
"Haven't Kyou, Yuki and Tohru come with you?"
"Tohru-kun?" Shigure said, with obvious surprise and confusion. "Iie.. she's at home, and Yuki stayed to keep her company."
"I see," Nami said, trying to process how this works out. Shigure then flashed her a big smile, and quickly caught up to Hatori on the stairs.
"Yo," said a voice from behind Nami. She turned to see a rather annoyed and frustrated Kyou, but a present Kyou nonetheless.
"Kyou-Neko!" She said, thrilled to see that he came. "You came!"
"Hm, I wasn't going to, but I figured anything would be better than spending another New Year's with the kuso nezumi," he replied, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Nami knew that there was more reason than that.
"Why didn't Yuki come?" She asked, and rubbed her hands together as the cold began to get to her, too.
Kyou shrugged. "To stay with Tohru, I guess."
Nami was glad that they would get some time together; she knew how much Yuki would be looking forward to that. He's said so in his letters, and she realized that he's taken quite a liking to Tohru. However, something wasn't clicking together.
"Why didn't they both just come?" She asked, as Kyou made his way towards the stairs. She followed him, not liking the cold anymore than the cat did.
"This is strictly a family thing," Kyou said, bitterness evident in his voice. "Tohru isn't allowed here tonight."
Nami suddenly stopped halfway up the stairs. "Then.." Kyou turned to look at her as she spoke. ".. why am I allowed to be here?"
He raised his eyebrows. Apparently, he hadn't thought about that either. "Well," he started as he looked around at all the other guests, "I wouldn't worry about it. You are more likely to be considered family here than I am."
Nami lowered her eyes, more depressed than cheered by the comment.
"Hurry up!" Kyou regained his signature harsh tone as he snapped her out of her daze. "It's freezing out here!" Nami managed a smile at him, and quickly followed him through the large entrance to the hall.