Disclaimer: I do not own Fruit Basket or its characters.
Traditionally, Chinese New Year eve reunion dinners/ banquets/ parties go on well into the night, sometimes till sunrise.
Relatives try to win each other blind at the majong tables... Peanuts are served at this point (no knifes, chopsticks or forks... in case tempers get a tad frayed over the tiles.)
The kids simply amuse themselves by running havoc. Case of too much sugar...
The family cats will go AWOL at this pt. Their 9 lives aren't enough... they may go MIA if they don't flee first.
3. Party Time
"Well, see ya," Kyo avoided looking at Yuki in the eye as the latter wore his shoes. Kyo got the funny feeling Yuki's miserable. It was crazy and he knew it. The cat's the miserable one. Kyo had spent many lonely New Year eves standing in the snow outside while the others made merry inside the banquet rooms.
Only the chosen twelve were invited, never the Cat. Most of the time, they forgot he even existed. Only once did someone come looking for him…
"If you're late, you-know-who will get upset…" Yuki ignored Kyo final barb as he trudged out. It was snowing. It shone sliver in the lamp light, curiously like someone's hair. Poor Snake. He grinned at the thought of Ayame transforming into a snake from the cold.
Ayame went to the party bundled up in three fur coats once. When Ayame failed to show, Shigure and Hatori went to look for him. They found the fur coats and a half-frozen snake outside the gate of the main house. After that, Hatori would pick Ayame up in the car.
"Yuki! You're late!" That woman again, he ignored her. "You should've been here this morning!" Okay, she hardly spoke to him. He chose not to listen. "You better be going to Akito now, do you hear?" Of course, Mother dear, your voice is enough to wake the dead…Yuki gritted his teeth. He was angry.
"Yuki-chan!" Ayame hugged his kid brother and steered him quickly out of their mother's reach. Don't touch me, you moron! The retort was on his lips. Ayame bent and whispered quickly into his ear. "Not now, something happened. Come with me…"
For once, Ayame sounded serious. How long will it last?Yuki allowed his elder brother to take him into the restricted banquet rooms. Their mother was left at the threshold. The atmosphere was different. It was as if someone had actually cleansed the rooms of all shadows.
"Akito what? And Mother does not know?" Yuki stared at the duo. If this was some sick joke and Akito was in the next room waiting to torment him…
"I saw no sense alarming the others when we can manage things here," Ayame opened the shoji to the next room to prove that Akito was truly gone. "Oops!" Haru and Rin glared at Shigure and Ayame from the room. Haru had a hand on Rin's knee. Yuki leapt forward and shut the shoji.
Kisa, Momiji and Hiro were playing with the beanbags. Kagura was humming a tune as she pottered about in her new kimono. Someone had left a packet of chips lying on the floor. Akito wouldn't have allowed such a breach of protocol. Normally, everyone will be seated stiffly at their places.
Yep, for once, the banquet actually resembled a party. The past few years were increasingly oppressive. Kyo may not know it, but the guests feared angering Akito. Hiro once innocently observed that it was like attending a funeral, theirs. Akito had him caned for that slip of the tongue.
Kureno was looking way distraught and very out-of-place amidst the happy atmosphere. If anything goes wrong, it's his head that will roll. Yuki went to reassure him. He understood being Akito's constant companion was both tough and lonely. "Look, Hatori will try to keep things under control…"
Kureno shook his head and pointed. Yuki looked in the direction he was pointing. He was shocked to see a very tipsy Hatori being carried off by Ayame and Shigure to the changing room. "It was the only way we can get him into the ceremonial robe!" Shigure explained.
(Replay)
"The answer's still NO!" Ayame was trying in vain to persuade Hatori to wear his robe. Shigure came in with an open packet of extra-extra-spicy chips. "Hatori, if you don't want to, you don't have to. Here, have a nibble before the meal's served."
"Arigato, but I'm not wearing that…" Hatori popped a chip into his mouth and quickly spat it out. "Shigure! I need water!"
"Sorry, I forgot to tell you I added Red-devil Tabasco sauce," Shigure gave the Dragon a glass of clear liquid. Hatori gulped down the contents and hiccupped. "Shi-Shigure… Whassin dat glasss?"
"Top grade Russian vodka, neat." Now they can get him into the ceremonial robe. Hatori groaned and staggered off. He never could handle vodka… Well, it'd take a while for the full effect of the liquor to hit him…
(End of Replay)
Momiji skipped out in his new ceremonial robe. Yuki shuddered. No wonder they had to get Hatori drunk. He scanned the familiar faces. Ritsu was not there yet…
"SORRY! I APOLOGIZE!!!" He heard the wail before the kimono-clad Monkey crawled into the room on his knees. "Akito-san, forgive me!!! I'm worthless! I don't deserve to live! I don't deserve to be here!!!"
"Ri-san…"
"Yuki?" Ritsu stopped banging his forehead on the tatami.
"Akito's in hospital. He fell down the stairs…"
"Argh! I apologize! I caused Akito-san to fall down the stairs because I'm a worthless person! He must have slipped on the marbles I lost ten years ago…"
"Ritsu!" Kureno took charge. "It was an accident! No one slipped on your marbles! Akito threw them into the pond, remember?" Ritsu nodded through his tears. Now everyone apart from their injured clan head is here, except the Baka Neko.
"Yuki…"
Kagura held out her Kitty mobile phone to Yuki with her sweetest smile. "Call Kyo, please. We're one short this year…" Translated, it means in Kagura-speak: Get my darling Kyo here or else I'll knock you into the next century!
"Kagura… this is very irregular…" Kagura clenched her fist and waved it in front of his face. Want a knuckle sandwich?
If he must, he could defeat her in a fight. Yuki recalled the orange-haired boy standing out in the snow.
"Yuki, are you going to leave him and Honda-san home alone, just the two of them?" Yuki relented and took the mobile phone from her…
Author's notes:
I know Hatori's supposed to able to hold his drink. But this is a bit OOC. I want the control factor to be shut off on this party. When the cat's (Akito) away, the mice (the others) come out to play! And play they shall...
Does Yuki feel sorry for Kyo? Or is he simply worried about Honda home alone with Kyo? Watch out, kitty.
About Akito & Kureno, well, those still in the dark may... I'm being very ambiguous about this in this fic. They may simply be close friends, or...