Chapter 9

A/N: I'm basing the restaurant off a place that's by me. I do not know if they have restaurants like it where the Sohma's live, we are just going to pretend they do lol.

Half an hour later they were still laughing as they slid into their booth at a small sushi place not far from the Sohma compound. Alana took a moment to look around at the decorations. The tables and chairs were simple wood, no exaggerated curves just straight lines. But the walls, they were covered with classic ink paintings of koi, geisha, bamboos and samurai. It was a beautiful place that had a warm welcome feeling to it. It was more 'Westernized' than some other sushi places and Alana found herself fond of it immediately.

"You are a master at dealing with Ayame." She told him, leaning forward towards him laughing.

Momiji shrugged. "I've had to deal with him a long time." He turned to smile absently at the waitress who came with glasses of water and a paper with the menu on it.

Alana watched the waitress from the corner of her eye. Her name tag said, Asuka, and she was a very cute and small girl, probably only a year or two younger than Momiji. Her eyes swept over Momiji slowly and she got a flirtatious gleam in her eye. "Is there anything I can get you right now?" Her voice was pitched low and Alana had to look down to hide her smile.

Momiji, busy looking at the menu in his hand and tapping the table lightly with the pen, shook his head without glancing back up. "No thank you, we're fine."

The waitress glanced at Alana then turned to leave. "I'll be back in a few minutes then."

For a few minutes, Alana and Momiji both leaned intently over the menu pointing and discussing certain dishes until they had compiled a list of what would be their dinner. When the waitress returned, Momiji held the paper up to her and gave her another bright smile, but didn't notice the look she returned to him.

Alana did, however, and also saw the jealous glance Asuka threw at her. In response, Alana merely raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile. "So…" Momiji started, a smile sliding across his face. "Tell me something I don't know about you."

Alana laughed and tilted her head in thought. There were many things that she hadn't told him, they'd only known each other a very short time, though it was definitely long enough for strong feelings to begin to build, it wasn't long enough to learn great amounts about each other. "Do you want something funny or serious?"

Momiji laughed as well. "Let's start with funny and go into serious later." He grinned and reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, causing her to blush lightly. He definitely liked how she'd become more open to him, less shy and reserved, but he loved her adorable blush.

Alana took a sip of water as she decided which story to tell. "When I was nine…I had just started dance, my parents thought I needed a physical exercise as well as artistic and since I wasn't the sports nut my sister already was, dance was it." She smiled mistily as she thought back to the first day she went to dance class. She had been tall for her age; it was the first thing the teacher had gone crazy over, 'perfect height for a ballerina'. "Well, halfway through my first class, I was asked to do a high kick." She giggled taking another sip of water. "The teacher was standing in front of me watching and critiquing. I managed to kick her in the face."

Momiji stared at her wide eyed for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing. Alana laughed with him and felt her stomach flutter at the joyful expression his laugh put on his face. He really was just so handsome….especially when the shadow was gone from his eyes.

The waitress came by with a plate with some of their food and her eyes sparkled at his smile. "Here's your food." She gave Momiji a shy smile and Alana a quick glare. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was called back to the kitchen.

Alana held back another laugh. She probably should be upset about how the waitress was so angry with her for being with Momiji…or annoyed that she was flirting with the guy she was on a date with…but she couldn't find it in her. It was just so amusing to see the impotent jealousy of the girl. Momiji hadn't looked at her once. "Your turn."

Momiji nodded and thought for a moment before laughing. "The year before I went to high school, my cousins Yuki, Ayame's little brother, and another cousin Kyo, met a girl named Tohru Honda. I had heard stories about her and was hanging out in one of my father's buildings when this spacey girl walked past me. She tripped and spilled her books. I laughed at her, I admit." He chuckled, his eyes a bit far away and sad. "One of the papers said her name, and in my excitement, I jumped up and started talking to her and telling her how great it was to meet her and everything and kissed her cheek." He paused to take a drink of his own water, his mind reliving those first moments. He looked back at Alana with a self-deprecatory grin. "Unfortunately, I didn't realize I was speaking German. I scared the crap out of her."

Alana giggled. "Oh, I can just imagine!" She picked up a roll of sushi and bit into it as Momiji did the same. For a few minutes they just ate, commenting on the deliciousness of the food and other inane topics. The waitress came with the rest of their food and disappeared after a moment of staring at Momiji again.

They were halfway through their meal before Momiji gave her a small smile. "Serious conversations, now right?"

Alana nodded, chewing thoughtfully. She swallowed and remained silent for a minute, studying Momiji. His face was honest and open, she liked him very much. But it was hard for her to reveal things to others, whether they are friends or family. She was not the exuberant person that Emiko was; she was more private and calm. "I dislike living at home." She finally stated, looking away for a moment.

Momiji's eyes widened in shock, why would anyone dislike living in a home with a family that loved them? He waited quietly for her to explain. As someone who was thrown out of his family at a young age, he couldn't understand that sentiment.

"It's not that I don't love my family, I do, very much. But I am not happy living with them." She shrugged when the waitress slammed a new glass down in front of her causing Momiji to jump. The waitress smiled prettily at Momiji and finally got up the courage to talk to him.

"My name is Asuka." She gave him a shy look from under her lashes.

He blinked up at her for a moment then gave her a confused smile. "A very pretty name."

"For a very pretty girl." Alana muttered under her breath knowing what the girl was waiting to hear. It got her a dirty look and she took a nonchalant bite of food.

"Have we met before? You look very familiar, I know I've seen that handsome face of yours somewhere before." Her smile widened and then became a pout as she was called away.

"I think the waitress is jealous of me." Alana giggled when Momiji looked after the girl confused.

"Why?" He asked turning back to Alana.

Alana chuckled slightly and winked. "She is crushing on you." At his wide eyes she laughed again. "She was totally trying to pick you up!" Somehow, Alana wasn't surprised that Momiji hadn't noticed the blatant flirting. He was definitely the type to ignore what didn't matter to him. She wondered how many girls had been broken hearted because of it in school and found it hard to pity them. Momiji needed someone stronger than the vapid girls that would have followed him like a puppy.

"Oh…well I'm not interested." He shrugged and took another piece of sushi. "You were saying."

Alana's smile turned wistful and sad. "As I was saying: I love my family very much. But…I feel smothered at home; caged in. Every day is routine, I have little space to call mine, the studio was intended to be the bedroom for a new baby but my parents only had me and my sister. I want a place to spread out, a view outside my window that is more than the wall of the house next to me. A place outside where I can paint in the sun. I want…freedom, I guess is the only way I can describe it." She shrugged, blushing faintly. She did love being at home, but she couldn't help feeling caged there as well.

Momiji nodded slowly. He, and the other members of the zodiac, had wished for years for freedom. They had a cage of their own and he could understand her desire to escape her cage. Even a pretty cage, as Alana's home life was to her, was still a cage. "I can understand that." He gave her a soft smile as she blushed faintly again.

Alana saw Asuka approaching from the corner of her eye and was ready for more entertainment when Momiji reached across the table and grabbed her hand gently. She focused again on him and her blush increased as he lifted her hand and placed a soft kiss on her palm. Asuka turned an angry red and stormed off, but neither of them were paying any attention to her. "What…what was that for?" She stuttered softly her fingers curling into his as he rested them back on the table.

He smiled at her. "I wanted to." He squeezed her hand gently and waved for the check, it was the manager who brought it with apologies for their waitress. They didn't talk as he paid and they headed out into the cool air outside. They both simply enjoyed the others company and their minds locked onto the memory of Momiji gently kissing her palm.

They strolled down the street, admiring the lanterns along the road and the window displays. Eventually they came to a small park and sat together on a bench. Alana loved being with him. It was so relaxing, so calm and enjoyable. She thought about the fact that their night would be over soon, and fervently hoped Momiji had enjoyed their time together as much as she had.

Momiji squeezed her hand with a sad smile and quietly began to speak, his eyes locked on the ground in front of him. "The reason Momo…doesn't know I am her brother, is because when I was born…my birth, my existence, drove my mother insane. There is no other way to explain it." He smiled sadly when she squeezed his hand tightly in pain for him. She told him something she'd told few others, he could only repay the favor, especially since she knew one of the direct result of this tale. "She was slowly going crazy, slowly dying. Then…something happened, and she forgot me. Forgot I was her child, forgot that she'd ever had a child. So…my father gave me my own place in the compound and visited me every day…but as far as my mother, and later Momo, were concerned, I was simply…another Sohma." He looked up at a soft noise and saw a tear flow down her cheek. He tugged her arm and brought her towards him and drew her into his lap. He felt his heart constrict as her arms wrapped around his neck and her tears soaked into his collar. He held her tight and let her tears wash away the last of the pain he felt from this part of his life. For some reason felt even more healing than when he'd cried with Tohru…

Alana felt her heart break in pain for Momiji. It wasn't unheard of for mothers to suffer post-partum depression, in this age of over-diagnosis, it could be fairly common. But to have your mother hate your existence to the point she forgot you? That was terrible. She didn't know how Momiji had survived. To be separated from his mother and father and grow up knowing, his mother would never acknowledge him? That was so sad. She choked back her sobs after a few minutes and simply rested in his arms, feeling the warmth he gave her fill her heart. "I'm so sorry Momiji-kun."

She felt his hand rub the back of her neck and then slide into her hair, unraveling the braid. "It's alright, Alana-chan." He replied quietly.

~Art of Love~

For a few moments they sat there in silence, not knowing what the other was thinking, but enjoying the embrace and each hoping that it meant the other felt the same way they did.

They had moved back to light hearted topics as they left the park but neither could forget the secrets they shared. Momiji's was definitely the more serious and heartbreaking of the two, but he didn't feel as if Alana had cheated him. He simply wanted to share all of himself with her and see where it lead as Momo had encouraged.

In the car, Momiji reached out and took her hand in his again. "What time should I come by tomorrow?" He asked vaguely remembering agreeing to dinner with her family.

Alana smiled in response, he remembered! "Whenever you like. We will probably eat around six or so but you can come over before then if you like."

"Do you work tomorrow?" He asked, glancing at her as he drove.

"Until three." She nodded, "I'm to do the music thing tomorrow." She grinned thinking that she was doing 'the music thing' the first time they'd met. Had it really only been a few days ago? She felt as if she had known him forever.

"Maybe I'll come by with my violin and we can play." He remarked thoughtfully. He watched her face light up and his heart fluttered. His simple words seemed to give her so much joy…

"I would love it if you did." She told him squeezing his hand tightly. "I had a great time with you Momiji."

"I did too. I want to take you out again sometime. I'm…really enjoying getting to know you." He confessed feeling shy all of a sudden. It was definitely one thing to think it, he had no idea how embarrassed he would be to tell her that. But she deserved to hear it…and he wanted to see her blush.

She did blush and smiled at him happily. A few minutes later when he dropped her off at her house, she kissed him quickly on the cheek and fled into the house, her face a bright red.

Momiji watched after her feeling slightly stunned. She'd kissed his cheek! When Momiji got home, he found himself going straight into his music room and pulling out blank music sheets and took them into the kitchen along with his copy of 'Lux Aeterna'. He'd heard Alana trying to remember the chords to it when he'd walked into the gallery and hoped it meant she'd loved the song. He wanted to give her a copy of the music so she could practice on her own, maybe learn it and they could play it together at her work. He didn't think he wanted to work there permanently, and definitely not after Alana left for the bigger gallery, but he agreed that it would be fun to play with her a few times. As he worked, his free hand drifted up to lightly brush the cheek she kissed and a wide smile flit across his lips. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.

~Art of Love~

Alana couldn't sleep that night. She was too wound up with memories of their date. Momiji had been so much fun to hang out with. They'd talked about deep subjects and light ones but she hadn't felt uncomfortable with him at all. She wondered a bit, she admitted, about the girl Tohru he had mentioned but was happy to know he wanted to share bits of his life with her at all.

When he'd told her about his mother, her heart about broke. It was so sad! To be hated, forgotten, and then cast aside, by the woman who was supposed to love you always and unconditionally? It was terrible. Momiji was a wonderful guy. He was smart, funny, talented, and so very kind. She knew that if his mother had been able to handle…whatever it was that was the problem…she would have been so proud of him.

Finally, around one, she couldn't keep her mind from returning to their date and what she had learned about him and found herself down in her studio a blank canvas in front of her. She had already packed a bag of paints, brushes, her camera, plus the details to the costume she'd need; make-up, hair stuff, jewelry and such, so that she could begin Kisa's portrait when Kisa had another free day, so she was thinking of what else she could do.

She shifted through the shelves of materials, wishing lightly she had more room for all of her things, and finally pulled out the box of water-color supplies and her sketch of Ayame and Mine. Ayame had refused payment for the dress, but she could repay them with a painting. She'd sketched Ayame smiling down at Mine, one hand lightly cupping her face, the other resting gently on her large belly and she smiled up at him with all the love in the world. Alana loved her almost photographic memory; it gave her the chance to capture beautiful moments like this and attempt to immortalize them.

She set the sketch on the corner of the easel and set up her painting materials. Before long, the sleeves of her pajamas were rolled up past her elbows, her hair was held up with a few paintbrushes and she was splattered with paint. But she wore a soft smile as she colored the curve of Ayame's face and continued working.

Would she ever have someone to look at her like this? She vaguely wondered as she worked. With absolute love and devotion in their eyes? She'd always hoped for the 'one and only great love' that romantics talked about, and she witnessed in her own parents and grandparents, but it had always seemed like a dream; right up there with selling a five-million yen painting.

She swiped a hand across her cheek, smearing more paint as she pushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. She tilted her head to the side to study the picture she'd sketched out earlier and the painting. Two hours in and Ayame was almost done. She was working slower than she normally did when using watercolor, she wanted this to look perfect. She went back to work with a grin on her face. She loved the piano, it was a way to relax and let out her feelings, but seeing her art come to life beneath her fingers…that was a pleasure she would always love best.

She let her mind wander back to Momiji as she painted again. He was unlike anyone she'd met before. He was so happy and carefree and fun…but she felt that there was sadness in him that he'd never been able to shed. She knew that a big part of it was probably the devastation of his mother's sickness and his having to leave home at a very young age, but she felt like it wasn't everything. She wanted to get to know him, everything about him, his likes, his dislikes, his family, his secrets…everything that made him into the man she was falling in love with.

She blushed lightly at that thought. She was falling in love with him she supposed. She'd certainly never felt this way before. He made her giddy and happy and excited to just be alive near him. A part of her wondered if she was falling too quickly but a little voice in the back of her head reminded her of her mother's words when she described loving her father.

I fell in love with him almost instantly…of course, it took him three months to convince me of that fact, but as soon as I admitted to myself that I did love him, there was no doubt in my mind that I had loved him from the start.

She wanted to cross her fingers, wish on a shooting star, blow out birthday candles, and pray that the feelings that were growing inside of her were returned. But she simply picked up another paint brush and painted, what would be, would be. What wouldn't, no matter how much she wished or it hurt her, wouldn't.

A/N: Thanks to TheSodaVampire for help this chapter! I hope I didn't disappoint!

Chapter 10 will have a surprise for everyone (wiggles in seat) I'm excited about it!

Please review!