Author's Note: I don't know if they have diners like this in Japan and if
they don't they should. There should be diners like this everywhere! ^_^
Sorry if this gets clichéd or cheesey. I tried. Things will get better. I
promise. If Hatori-san seems more OOC, than usual, I apologize. I just got
this picture of Hatori-san, dressed in a polo shirt and a pair of khaki's
sitting in a 1950's diner, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the
newspaper stuck in my head and it wouldn't leave me alone. And you didn't
come here to read an author's note. ON WITH THE SHOW!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The diner oozed 1950's American charm out of the red vinyl booths and glittering chrome. Samantha hid a smile behind her hand. Hatori had the appearance of a man who was more comfortable with a maitre'd and a wine list than a campy tribute to America's past.
"Order what you want," Hatori said, as they slid into a booth near the back.
A waitress dressed in a simple white dress with a frilly red apron approached, smacking her enormous wad of bubble gum. She pulled a small golf pencil from behind her ear and with a bright smile asked what they wanted to drink. She walked away, her eyes lingering on Hatori's face.
"Did you sleep all right?" Hatori asked, perusing the menu.
Samantha shrugged. "It was better than sleeping on the plane," she replied. "Do they always make that noise in the morning?"
"I assume you mean Kyou and Yuki. Unfortunately, yes. Yuki's not much of a morning person and Kyou's temper gets away from him more often than not."
She sighed. "Sohma-san, go ahead and ask. I know you want to."
Hatori closed his menu. "I thought it would be *you* who had the questions. After all, you did fly half way across the world for your answers."
She took a deep breath and began. "I didn't even know I was cursed until I got to high school. There was never a man in my life. My dad was killed in a military accident when I was six months old and my mom kept me in all girls' schools from kindergarten on. It was my first formal. A neighboring boys' academy was invited to be our dates. My date was Alax. We were dancing and having a good time...until we went to get some fresh air. He tried to kiss me...and I changed. One second, I'm a girl. The next I'm a cow. I ran...I was so scared. My cousin Jason found me several hours later, cold and...naked. He took me home and my mom explained what she knew. She's the horse. Did you know that?"
Hatori nodded. "We bumped into each other one night as we were coming out of the lab. When neither of us changed, we knew. What did your mother tell you?"
The waitress returned with Hatori's coffee and Samantha's Coke. She took their orders and sashayed back to the counter.
"My many times great-grandmother was a servant in the Sohma home. She became the favorite of one of the sons who inevitably got her with child. When the Sohmas did whatever it is that they did to get cursed, her unborn child was also cursed." Samantha stirred the ice in her glass with her straw.
"Until I met your mother, we had no idea there was another family like us. Akito is still in denial. He believes Elizabeth to be a witch or something. Even after she embraced me and we didn't change..." he paused, taking a drink of his coffee. "I don't know if I can answer your questions, Miss Hart. I know very little about your family's situation. What I can tell you is what I've learned from living 30 years with this curse."
"That's all you can offer? If I wanted that, I wouldn't have spent half a fortune on a plane ticket to Japan. I could have asked my mom or my cousin Jason."
"I'm sorry it's not more. I'd like you to remember that it was you who made this decision. Your mother wanted you to write a letter."
Samantha blushed and focused intently on her soda. "Gomen nasai, Sohma- san."
"I know it's not what you expected, and for that I am truly sorry."
"No, no. It's all right. I have to be honest with you, Sohma-san. I didn't really have a clear plan when I came here. Yes, I wanted answers. Yes, I want to know what the Sohmas did to warrant such a curse. Yes, I wanted to come to Japan. Did I think this through? No. Unfortunately, this yet another one of my not so well thought out fly by the seat of my pants adventures I am famous for back home."
The waitress brought their orders and placed them on the table along with their check. She gave Hatori a sly wink as she sashayed back. Samantha smothered a giggle as she reached for the salt. ::He really is an attractive man,:: she thought. ::Wonder why he seems more annoyed than flattered?::
"If you're done laughing at me, we can continue."
"Gomen nasai," she mumbled, though still smiling.
"You said you were the cow?"
"Hai, though you can't tell it by looking at me." Samantha gestured to the enormous stack of pancakes on her plate. "Though, as Mom says, 'The proof is in the pancakes.'"
Hatori frowned as he salted his eggs. "That's interesting. All 12 of the Junishi *and* the cat have been born. When I met your mother, Rin was just a baby. We weren't sure what her form was yet. When we finally did learn, your mother had returned to the States and I was very busy taking care of my younger cousin, Akito. I didn't give it a second thought. I'm curious as to why there are two sets of Junishi."
"Maybe it's because our blood is from the wrong side of the sheets? That's Jason's theory anyway."
"Hm. That is a good thought." He paused, taking a drink. "I talked to your mother this morning."
Samantha looked up from her breakfast. "She did? What did she have to say?"
"How long do you plan on staying in Japan?"
"I was hoping to finish high school here. Maybe even start college. Mom said she'd help out some. I was going to get a job....maybe an apartment or something. Like I said, I really didn't think it out very thoroughly."
"Obviously. Housing is very hard to come by...especially for a foreign 17 year-old-girl with no job and no education. Getting into one of our schools is going to be difficult as well. What are you going to do if you can't get in? Go back home? Elizabeth said your ticket was one way."
Samantha's cheeks flamed with shame. "Sohma-san, I know it's going to be hard. But I know I can do it. As far as a place to stay goes, if I can't find anything here, I have family up north and in Okinawa."
"That won't be necessary," Hatori said, finishing his breakfast. "Your mother and I talked about this at length, and I've discussed it with Shigure. Since the Sohmas are technically responsible for your predicament, I have an offer for you. We will help you pay for tuition to the school of your choice and give you a place to stay as long as you get a part time job after school and help Tohru out with housekeeping duties."
She knew she was staring open-mouthed, but she didn't care. He was giving her the cake and the silver platter it was offered on. She certainly hadn't been expecting this. She'd be a fool if she turned him down, but she hardly knew the Sohmas and they her. Of course, a simple phone call would confirm everything Hatori had told her, and truthfully, she wasn't even sure her mother's family was still talking to her.
She met his steady gaze. With a small smile she asked, "Know anybody who's hiring?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The diner oozed 1950's American charm out of the red vinyl booths and glittering chrome. Samantha hid a smile behind her hand. Hatori had the appearance of a man who was more comfortable with a maitre'd and a wine list than a campy tribute to America's past.
"Order what you want," Hatori said, as they slid into a booth near the back.
A waitress dressed in a simple white dress with a frilly red apron approached, smacking her enormous wad of bubble gum. She pulled a small golf pencil from behind her ear and with a bright smile asked what they wanted to drink. She walked away, her eyes lingering on Hatori's face.
"Did you sleep all right?" Hatori asked, perusing the menu.
Samantha shrugged. "It was better than sleeping on the plane," she replied. "Do they always make that noise in the morning?"
"I assume you mean Kyou and Yuki. Unfortunately, yes. Yuki's not much of a morning person and Kyou's temper gets away from him more often than not."
She sighed. "Sohma-san, go ahead and ask. I know you want to."
Hatori closed his menu. "I thought it would be *you* who had the questions. After all, you did fly half way across the world for your answers."
She took a deep breath and began. "I didn't even know I was cursed until I got to high school. There was never a man in my life. My dad was killed in a military accident when I was six months old and my mom kept me in all girls' schools from kindergarten on. It was my first formal. A neighboring boys' academy was invited to be our dates. My date was Alax. We were dancing and having a good time...until we went to get some fresh air. He tried to kiss me...and I changed. One second, I'm a girl. The next I'm a cow. I ran...I was so scared. My cousin Jason found me several hours later, cold and...naked. He took me home and my mom explained what she knew. She's the horse. Did you know that?"
Hatori nodded. "We bumped into each other one night as we were coming out of the lab. When neither of us changed, we knew. What did your mother tell you?"
The waitress returned with Hatori's coffee and Samantha's Coke. She took their orders and sashayed back to the counter.
"My many times great-grandmother was a servant in the Sohma home. She became the favorite of one of the sons who inevitably got her with child. When the Sohmas did whatever it is that they did to get cursed, her unborn child was also cursed." Samantha stirred the ice in her glass with her straw.
"Until I met your mother, we had no idea there was another family like us. Akito is still in denial. He believes Elizabeth to be a witch or something. Even after she embraced me and we didn't change..." he paused, taking a drink of his coffee. "I don't know if I can answer your questions, Miss Hart. I know very little about your family's situation. What I can tell you is what I've learned from living 30 years with this curse."
"That's all you can offer? If I wanted that, I wouldn't have spent half a fortune on a plane ticket to Japan. I could have asked my mom or my cousin Jason."
"I'm sorry it's not more. I'd like you to remember that it was you who made this decision. Your mother wanted you to write a letter."
Samantha blushed and focused intently on her soda. "Gomen nasai, Sohma- san."
"I know it's not what you expected, and for that I am truly sorry."
"No, no. It's all right. I have to be honest with you, Sohma-san. I didn't really have a clear plan when I came here. Yes, I wanted answers. Yes, I want to know what the Sohmas did to warrant such a curse. Yes, I wanted to come to Japan. Did I think this through? No. Unfortunately, this yet another one of my not so well thought out fly by the seat of my pants adventures I am famous for back home."
The waitress brought their orders and placed them on the table along with their check. She gave Hatori a sly wink as she sashayed back. Samantha smothered a giggle as she reached for the salt. ::He really is an attractive man,:: she thought. ::Wonder why he seems more annoyed than flattered?::
"If you're done laughing at me, we can continue."
"Gomen nasai," she mumbled, though still smiling.
"You said you were the cow?"
"Hai, though you can't tell it by looking at me." Samantha gestured to the enormous stack of pancakes on her plate. "Though, as Mom says, 'The proof is in the pancakes.'"
Hatori frowned as he salted his eggs. "That's interesting. All 12 of the Junishi *and* the cat have been born. When I met your mother, Rin was just a baby. We weren't sure what her form was yet. When we finally did learn, your mother had returned to the States and I was very busy taking care of my younger cousin, Akito. I didn't give it a second thought. I'm curious as to why there are two sets of Junishi."
"Maybe it's because our blood is from the wrong side of the sheets? That's Jason's theory anyway."
"Hm. That is a good thought." He paused, taking a drink. "I talked to your mother this morning."
Samantha looked up from her breakfast. "She did? What did she have to say?"
"How long do you plan on staying in Japan?"
"I was hoping to finish high school here. Maybe even start college. Mom said she'd help out some. I was going to get a job....maybe an apartment or something. Like I said, I really didn't think it out very thoroughly."
"Obviously. Housing is very hard to come by...especially for a foreign 17 year-old-girl with no job and no education. Getting into one of our schools is going to be difficult as well. What are you going to do if you can't get in? Go back home? Elizabeth said your ticket was one way."
Samantha's cheeks flamed with shame. "Sohma-san, I know it's going to be hard. But I know I can do it. As far as a place to stay goes, if I can't find anything here, I have family up north and in Okinawa."
"That won't be necessary," Hatori said, finishing his breakfast. "Your mother and I talked about this at length, and I've discussed it with Shigure. Since the Sohmas are technically responsible for your predicament, I have an offer for you. We will help you pay for tuition to the school of your choice and give you a place to stay as long as you get a part time job after school and help Tohru out with housekeeping duties."
She knew she was staring open-mouthed, but she didn't care. He was giving her the cake and the silver platter it was offered on. She certainly hadn't been expecting this. She'd be a fool if she turned him down, but she hardly knew the Sohmas and they her. Of course, a simple phone call would confirm everything Hatori had told her, and truthfully, she wasn't even sure her mother's family was still talking to her.
She met his steady gaze. With a small smile she asked, "Know anybody who's hiring?"