Chapter 8
Okay honestly, this is not my favorite chapter of this and I want to apologize. I love the beginning and hate the ending. But I wanted to update! The next chapter shouldn't take as long, school is done for me on Wed! (cheers) So I can work on this more.
Alana led Momiji further into the room a smile on her lips and a glare in her eyes for her family's behavior. They act like I'm bringing home a boyfriend. Not that it would be a bad thing if it were true. Subtle, very subtle. "Oka, Otou, Emiko, this is my friend Momiji Sohma." She turned to smile at Momiji, "Momiji-kun, this is my Oka, Chizue, my Otou, Mizu, and Kisa's friend Emiko."
Emiko grinned unrepentantly. "Kisa's friend? Not your baby sister?" She could see the annoyance in her sisters eyes and enjoyed every minute of it.
Alana sniffed as her parents came forward to meet Momiji. "I refuse to claim you." Emiko was a brat, she fought off a smile, a huge, annoying, brat.
Emiko simply laughed from her seat and bowed slightly to Momiji. "Alana and Kisa both speak highly of you, Momiji. It's nice to meet you."
"Indeed." Mizu agreed. "Judging by the number of sketches of you, Alana thinks very highly of you."
Chizue winked as Alana flushed under Momiji's curious gaze. "She only draws people she likes more than once."
Momiji took pity on Alana and smiled. "I like Alana very much as well. She is extremely enjoyable company."
Emiko sniggered at the possible innuendo of those words and laughed outright when her mother smacked her in the back of the head for it. Chizue smiled gently at the suddenly blushing boy. "Well, we'll let you head back home. Would you grant us the pleasure of your company for dinner on Friday evening?"
"I'd be honored." Momiji smiled back, finding himself liking this energetic family. After a few more minutes of conversation, Alana walked him back to the door. "I'll pick you up from work tomorrow to head to Ayame's shop." He paused his hand on the door and smiled down at Alana. "When will you start painting her?" He asked curiously.
"As soon as I can." She smiled. "I want to be able to display it at the Matoko AGA if I am able to get a show there."
"I have no doubts the critic will love your work." Momiji smiled confidently at her. "Do you have other things you need to get done for him though?" He asked curiously, wondering how full her days were. He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch still looking at her. He remembered Momo's encouragement and tried to pull enough courage together to do what he wanted, and feared at the same time.
"I have other things to show and there may be a few things I need to work on, but I think I'll be good. Oji keeps most of my art in storage. He rarely has customers who can buy my paintings with the prices he puts on them, so he sells signed prints instead." Alana smiled shyly, pleased that he was thinking of her. It was true, Oji charged much more than Alana herself would for some of her pieces since she did display at a small gallery. But he made sure that everything she did had prints of various sizes so that people, who did like them, could buy them and display them, all in the hopes of more exposure for Alana.
Momiji reached out to take her hand smiling shyly as well. "Would you go out to dinner with me tomorrow after we get done at Ayame's?" He held his breath waiting for her answer. He didn't know exactly where their relationship was going to go, but he freely admitted that he wanted to spend much more time with him and see where it went. She made him feel free and happy and light…and he loved when she smiled at him.
"A date?" Alana asked squeaking slightly. At Momiji's calm nod, she flushed with happiness and couldn't even feel embarrassed at her constant blushing around him. "I'd love to."
Momiji's smile widened to a full-out, joy-filled grin and he lifted Alana's hand to press a kiss lightly to the back of it. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He turned and headed off to his car, not running but quickly, trying to hide the shaking of his hands.
~Art of Love~
The morning dragged on for Alana. She'd brought in a few of her charcoal drawings to frame and set them aside in the back room for showing the AGA critic. She then started to go through the other art in the room, on the floor, all of it, trying to decide what was best to show, when really she was just trying to get her mind off the thought of her date. By noon, she'd worked herself up into a state of pure panic, both about the date and the critic. It'd been a long time since her last date. She'd still been in the art school and had dated a fellow pianist for a while. But there'd been no sparks and he didn't listen to her concerns about feeling her originality being squashed. They'd broken up a few weeks before she'd packed up and left and never missed him.
But Momiji already had wormed his way into her heart in a way no one else had before. Sneaky little…what'd Hiro call him?...sneaky little rabbit.
"Go away." Her grandfathers voice brought her from her thoughts and she glanced over at him.
"Hmm?" She asked, setting down a four by two bamboo painting.
"Go home, go see Momiji, just go. Away." He told her seriously.
"What? Why?" She asked blushing at the comment to see the boy who filled her thoughts.
"You are over stressing and giving me a headache." He scolded lovingly. "You trust me to pick your art, so go away and let me handle it." He waved his hands to show her to the door. "Go shopping or something."
Alana closed her mouth and hummed in thought. Shopping? Normally, she hated to do it but it wouldn't hurt to try to find a new outfit for her date tonight. "Alright." She laughed as he pushed her gently. Her grandfathers other employees gave amused smiles as they watched Alana leave.
She let herself wander towards a nearby clothing center, her mind on what she wanted. Something simple, she decided and walked more determinedly down the road.
Alana walked back to her grandfathers studio a few minutes before Momiji was to pick her up. A wolf-whistle had her blushing and scowling at Jin, one of the workers for that evening. He was one of the best. It was rare for anyone he talked with to not walk out with a purchase.
"Got a date tonight?" Jin teased, his eyes on an old lady who'd followed Alana into the room.
Alana sniffed indignantly to hide her smile. "Actually, I do." She flipped a hand at him to shoo him towards the lady and he winked before leaving. Alana's hair was French braided down her back and a single sparkly pin shaped like a lotus rested at the top of the braid. She wore a soft white shirt and black vest over black slacks and small heels. It was similar to the outfit Momiji had worn the first day they'd met and she hoped he'd think she looked cute, not creepy. But the saleswoman had insisted she looked fabulous.
She was idly playing the piano, trying to remember exactly how the song Momiji had loved went, when she heard her grandfather greet him. Trying to swallow her nervousness, she glanced up as she folded the cover over the keys. Momiji wore a deep blue button down shirt over charcoal grey slacks. He had changed his plain stud earrings to shiny ones and they caught the light brightly. As she stood, he glanced up and their eyes met.
Momiji froze as he spotted Alana across the room. She looked beautiful. He had always admired her sense of style, it was very similar to his own and she wore it well. But the simple vest and slacks outfit made her look absolutely gorgeous. Her beautiful hair was pulled back and though he liked the look, it made him want to pull it down and run his fingers through it.
As she reached his side, her grandfather left laughing under his breath but neither noticed. "You look nice." Alana told him proud she'd been able to hold off the blush so far.
He smiled widely and held out a hand for her to take. "Du siehst gut aus."
"I'm going to assume that's a compliment." She murmured as she took his hand and waved to her grandfather and smirking co-workers. "I'm ready whenever you are."
Momiji laughed and the two of them headed out of the gallery. "Ayame picked up Kisa and Hiro himself. He and Mine had a doctor's appointment this morning with the family doctor to check on her pregnancy and his office is in the Sohma compound."
"How far along is she?" Alana asked as she slid into the car, slightly disappointed she had to let go of Momiji's hand.
"Almost eight months I think." Momiji grinned. Mine's child was going to be the first child born from a Zodiac member and a non-member. Though Momiji suspected the next year or so there would be a number more, there had been many weddings since the curse was broken; Ayame and Mine were simply the second, following Akito and Shigure who had a sweet 1 year old little girl, though both of them were Zodiac members.
"Aw! I can't wait to see their baby! I wonder who it will take after. Do they know if the baby is a boy or a girl?" She asked. She was so excited to be hanging with Momiji that she was starting to bubble over.
"A girl." Momiji smiled at her exuberance and the way her face lit up with that smile. "They are overjoyed about it." Especially because Ayame will be able to hold his daughter.
Alana laughed and clapped her hands. "I'm excited for them as well!" She glanced up as Momiji slowed to a stop and realized they were parking outside the shop now. She blushed lightly as they got out and Momiji took her hand once more. The casual touching was strange to her but she loved it, it was romantic and felt so right to her. "So um…where are we going after?" She asked as they strolled along the road from the parking lot.
Momiji smiled and shook his head before winking at her and holding up a finger to his lips with his unoccupied hand. "It's a secret." His smile widened as Alana chuckled and squeezed his hand. He had always held hands with Tohru whenever they saw each other, a bit of rebellion against his cursed state, but it had not held the degree of warmth that Alana's hand filled him with.
When they arrived at Ayame's shop, he and the others were just opening the door. "Good timing!" Mine smiled and waved at them. She wore a maternity kimono that was extremely simple compared to other outfits that they had seen her in before, and she was practically glowing.
They all went inside as Mine informed them about what the doctor, a cousin named Hatori, had told them. Everything was fine and she was due in a little over a month if everything went on schedule. Ayame disappeared into the back room with Kisa, while Mine had Hiro sit on one couch and Momiji and Alana sat on the other while she took a large comfy chair and put her feet up on the ottoman. "And Ayame and I have finally decided on a name!" Mine ended her long monologue smiling. "She's going to be named Hana!"
The others, minus the scowling Hiro, gushed with Mine about the baby and the name until the door to the back room opened once more.
Ayame opened the door and came out, a proud smile on his face. "May I present, Princess Kisa." He stepped aside and bowed as Kisa came into the room, a dark blush across her cheeks. Even though the dress was more for Alana than Kisa herself, Ayame was determined to make her feel special in the dress.
Alana jumped to her feet and circled Kisa, a wide smile on her face, even while her eyes were distant. "You look beautiful Kisa. Ayame the dress is perfect!" She glanced up as Momiji giggled and followed his gaze to Hiro who stared at Kisa with a dropped jaw. Kisa blushed as Alana giggled as well and Hiro's finally caught up. He blushed and turned his face away saying nothing.
Alana smiled at his attempt to deny his reaction adjusted the way Kisa stood a few times before nodding in satisfaction. "This is the pose I want you to use." She circled again and ran a hand down Kisa's hair. I'll do your hair and make-up; probably have you stand in front of something…dark colored." She muttered for a while longer as Mine took notes on what Alana said and Momiji leaned over to Hiro.
"Kisa looks beautiful doesn't she?" He whispered. Hiro glared at Momiji from the corner of his eye as the blush increased. "You know…I vaguely remember Shigure saying he was going to be throwing a Halloween Ball next month…" He turned innocent eyes on Hiro as Hiro's own eyes widened. "Maybe Ayame could make you a matching Prince outfit."
Hiro's lip curled but he said nothing back to Momiji as the others came back to the table.
"How are you going to proceed, Alana-chan? Are you going to have Kisa-chan stand for the whole time?" Ayame asked settling into a chair as Mine took Kisa to change.
Alana shook her head as she sat next to Momiji, he grabbed her hand gently, automatically, not noticing the glances that the others gave them. "I'll get her posed, hair and make-up done, and then take a few pictures. I'll do the outline and basic painting with the photos then have her stand for me to do the details later. I doubt you'd like to stand for hours on end Kisa-chan." Alana smiled at her as she came back into the room after changing.
Kisa giggled blushing. "Probably not. I'm still in shock that you want me to pose for you."
"Well…" Alana flushed lightly. "I already have some pictures of you." She confessed.
Momiji laughed and nodded. "She has pictures of all of you actually! I saw her studio." He laughed again as her blush increased as everyone, minus the still sulking Hiro, began to question her. He glanced at the clock and stood pulling Alana to her feet. "We have to get going. I'll make sure she brings some when we meet up again."
Ayame jumped to his feet and nodded and began to talk animatedly to them as Momiji slowly backed his way out pulling Alana with him.
A/N: I don't think I have set a season for this story yet, so I'm going with it's September. I don't know that the Sohma's ever celebrated Halloween, it was ever brought up in the books, so for the sake of the story, we will pretend they do.
If you have any thing you want specifically on the date, let me know!
Review!