Chapter 12

A bit shorter than normal but lots happens in this chapter. Sorry it took so long, apparently people forgot to tell me I live in a Soap Opera. See notes at bottom.

Dinner was enjoyable and simple. According to Momiji, it was the first time he'd actually gone to a real ramen stand. "What do you do for food usually?" Alana asked leaning over to steal a bit of food from his beef ramen bowl.

"Cook for myself mostly. As a child I had a nanny who came by every day to take care of me. She died when I was thirteen and I've lived alone since so I had to learn to cook for myself." He replied shrugging and stealing from her own miso bowl. Alana looked up at him with watery eyes and he flicked her nose gently. "Don't cry over it, Alana. I'm alright."

"But you must be so lonely." She whispered leaning toward him.

Momiji threaded a hand through her hair again. It was something he found that he loved. He loved the feel of her hair between his fingers and the way she automatically leaned towards him when he did it. "I'm not now." He replied gently. He studied her face for a long moment, weighing the pros and cons of what he wanted to ask her. They'd barely known each other a full week, they'd only been dating for a day, but already he was mad for her and couldn't think of being without her. He wondered if this was how Hatsuharu felt the first time he'd talked to Rin. Hatsuharu had admitted he fell in love with the beautiful raven haired girl the first time he'd looked in her eyes and decided to marry her even though he was a child. Or if he was feeling like Shigure who knew that no matter what, Akito was the one for him, the one he'd love regardless of it all. "Alana…will you…" he paused to search her face a bit more and sighed at the look of concern, worry, and care in her eyes. "Will you move in with me?"

Alana blinked slowly and tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

"It is lonely in my house by myself, you're right. I have lots of room for your painting materials and a bedroom you can use. You mentioned you wanted to move out." He explained before shrugging nervously. "I know we don't know each other very well but I care for you very much and I would love it if you lived with me." He blushed at the surprised expression on her face but kept his mouth shut. He'd meant the invitation and refused to take it back though he was nervous at her reaction. He figured she'd either immediately say no or that she'd think about it. He was a little fearful of the intense look she was giving him.

Alana herself was confused. Momiji was correct; they did not know each other well. Regardless of how quickly she'd fallen for him, she knew very little of him, he carried many secrets, the least of which seemed to be involved in Ayame's conversation earlier of him loving someone. Outside factors aside, would she like to move in with him? Very much so. He was very enjoyable company and she adored spending time with him. But, there was a lot she didn't know. With a firm nod she decided.

"On two conditions." She told him firmly. "You let me pay some form of rent to you." At his smile and nod she continued. "There was a conversation today that upset you badly." She paused as his face began to close up. "Explain it to me so I can know why you were upset."

"Why?" He asked, glancing away and motioning for the check to give himself something to do.

"I don't know a lot about you, Momiji. But I know that whatever it was, it was very upsetting to you. I care about you and I want to help you, but I also want to know more about you." She turned him to face her. "The good and the bad. I want to know your dreams and fears, your secrets and your ambitions. They all make you who you are and I like who you are." She smiled at him and ran her fingers down his cheek softly. "I want to know you."

"Alright." Momiji replied after a long moment as he studied her expression. "But…not tonight." He turned away feeling both joy…and sadness. He'd locked up his pain until Tohru had come into their lives and once she'd left, he'd locked it all away again. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to open up like that again. Especially to someone like Alana. Tohru knew sadness, loss, her light had a splash of darkness that all the Zodiac could relate to, that was similar to his own. Alana had nothing like it. Her light was bright and undiminished by that sadness. As they left dinner, Momiji reached out to link their fingers and heard a soft sigh of relief and Alana turned to give him a bright smile. Maybe…this time he needed the lightness to battle his shadow rather than a darkness he could relate to…

~Art of Love~

When Momiji dropped Alana off at home, she told him that by the next weekend she would move in. She gave him a sweet kiss and watched as he drove away with a smile. Her brow furrowed with concern however, as soon as he was gone.

"Mom, Dad?" She called entering the house.

"Yes?" Her father replied leaning out from the living room. He immediately noticed the unsettled look on her face and went to wrap an arm around her. "What's wrong?"

Alana sighed and let herself be led into the room where her mother was sitting and dropped to the floor across from her. For a moment she gathered her thoughts and then looked up at her parents who sat on the couch together and watched her curiously. "I have something to tell you and I want you to hear me out before you say anything."

They nodded in agreement quickly though Alana knew that it would probably be hard for her mother to not interject her thoughts as soon as they came up.

She took a deep breath and began. "Momiji asked me to move in with him and I agreed." She paused to take in their initial reaction, one of shock but not anger and continued. "Momiji has lived alone most of his life, as he has stated, he is not close to his family. He's offering me my own bedroom and a room to become my studio. I know this is sudden, it was extremely sudden to me, and that we don't know him very well but…I like him. I like him very much. And I…well, to be honest, I want to move in with him. He always seems so…lonely and sad." She looked up again at her parents and met their eyes briefly. "I want to help end that sadness, that loneliness."

Mizu leaned back into couch and studied his daughter as he thought. Chizue leaned forward and caught Alana's chin so she couldn't look away. "Do you believe you would be safe living with him?"

"Yes." Alana replied firmly.

"Do you truly want to do this?" She asked her eyes searching her daughters.

Alana's face softened as she thought of Momiji. "Yes."

Chizue nodded and leaned back. "Alright then." She turned to her husband who was looking at her in shock. "What?"

"You're agreeing. Just like that?" He asked curiously.

Alana had to admit, she had expected more of a fight from her mother as well. She was usually the emotional one and disliked being reminded that her children were growing up. Her father was usually the logical one but he was also fiercely protective of them all.

"Alana is twenty-two years old. If she wants to move out she can. As far as I can tell, Momiji is a good kid. He does carry around an aura of sadness though and Alana obviously cares for him. I trust her to get the hell out of dodge if she feels unsafe and to call us if she needs us. If this is what she feels like she needs to do, then I will be supportive that way if she needs us, she doesn't think we will reject her." Chizue replied, running a hand through her daughter's hair. "I trust her to make her own decisions."

Alana's eyes filled with tears at her mother's words and she leapt up to wrap the older woman in a hug. "You're the best, mom."

"I know." Chizue replied smugly, discreetly wiping her own eyes. "You, however, need to make sure you tell us where he lives and his home phone number."

Mizu nodded in agreement and gave his daughter a hug as well. "When are you moving out?"

"Next weekend." She replied, snuggling in between her parents on the couch. "You guys are going to be helping me move after all so you'll know where it is."

"Alright. Let's go tell that hellion sister of yours." Her mother chuckled and stood.

~Art of Love~

Momiji dropped his car off at the house and made his way further into the Sohma compound aiming for Akito's rooms. He knew he no longer had to inform Akito of his every move and action, but he was trying to grow past their shared past and had developed friendship with the woman. They visited each other at least once every other week since he'd offered her his friendship when they'd run into each other at the hospital. Part of him had feared her, even hated her, but the majority of him pitied her. He'd met Ren and heard the hatred the woman spewed at her daughter and knew that Akito was as damaged as the rest of them. Now, however, they were fairly close friends, Momiji was the little brother Akito never had.

When she answered his knock, her face lit up at seeing him. "Momiji!" She smiled softly and held out a hand to him. Momiji gripped it tightly for a moment and let himself be pulled into her sitting room. He could hear Shigure puttering around in the back and ignored it. "How are you?"

"I am well, Akito. How are you?" He sat across from her at the low table and studied her features. She looked so much better lately, than she had before the curse had been broken. Her hair was much longer, almost down to her waist, and she had it braided into many small braids that were pulled back from her face and tied up into intricate knots. She kept it long, he suspected, because Shigure liked it, but she made sure it differentiated from her mother's hair.

"I am well." Akito smiled softly as Shigure suddenly let out a curse and there was a crash. "I am making Shigure clean his library. He is not enjoying himself." She laughed and Momiji laughed with her.

"Akito…I came to tell you something." Momiji started leaning forward.

Akito nodded running one of the loose braids through her hair. "Are you moving?" She asked quietly.

Momiji shook his head and held out a hand to grip hers. He knew she often had fears of being abandoned. Ren's poison tongue had given Akito a lot of insecurities. "No. I am not moving. However, I am acquiring a roommate."

Akito's face lit up in excitement. Sometimes, Momiji was very startled at the 'new' Akito. It was very…scary how her emotions ran now that she was healing. A big part of the healing had to do with Shigure, Tohru, and Momiji. The three of them had shown Akito more love than the others. Kureno had forgiven Akito, but he'd moved away and Hatori had never changed. He still treated her with the same forgiveness and care that he had when they first met. "Really? Who is it?"

Momiji smiled back at her and then glanced up with a dirty disheveled Shigure stumbled into the room.

"Akitoooo…" He whined making his way to her side to cling to her arm. "Can I take a break?" He kissed her cheek and gave her big eyes as she giggled. "Yay!" He cheered when he saw her cave and turned to wrap an arm around her and look at Momiji. "So who?"

Momiji scowled at the eavesdropper briefly but then rolled his eyes. He didn't expect anything else from the dog. "Her name is Alana. She's my girlfriend."

Shigure and Akito looked startled. "A girlfriend? I didn't know you were dating anyone." Akito frowned in thought, trying to remember if she remembered him mentioning an Alana before.

"We haven't been together all that long." He blushed lightly and coughed. "Only a few days actually." He glared as Shigure gave him a thumbs up and broad wink. "She's an artist, I'd love to take you to see her work sometime Akito. But I have all that extra space for her to use so I asked her to move in with me."

"Does she know…" Akito trailed off when Momiji shook his head. "I'd love to see her art and meet her Momiji." She smiled at him. Shigure nodded in agreement.

"She works in her grandfather's gallery some days if you want to go. Kisa introduced us. Alana's younger sister is classmates with her. She's currently doing a painting of Kisa and one of Ayame and Mine. Kisa bought a painting from her already and Hiro is buying the one she's doing of Kisa."

"She must be good." Akito murmured. "Hiro isn't one to buy things before he sees the end product."

Shigure tilted his head and pouted. "How come Aya got to meet her first?"

Akito and Momiji rolled their eyes. "Kisa convinced Alana to have Ayame do the costume for the painting. He apparently is now also doing a matching costume for Hiro and a pair of matching costumes for me and Alana for your Halloween Party."

Shigure snapped. "I remember now. Aya did mention that he'd met a new artist."

Momiji ignored him and looked back at the head of the Sohma family. "So when are you free to go?"

Akito paused for a moment to think of the schedule she might have and nodded slowly. "I am free Monday or Tuesday. What time do you want to go?"

Momiji smiled at the excited look on Akito's face. Even if he had still been cursed, he was so happy that Akito was freed from the curse that she had been living under. As a soft cry came from a back room and Akito leapt to her feet to respond his smile grew. Akito deserved the happiness she had now.

~Art of Love~

"You are moving out?" Emiko squeaked.

"I am." Alana replied watching her sister carefully as she began to pull out the materials to finish Ayame and Mine's painting. Her parents were sitting on the couch that was shoved against the back wall and Emiko stood beside the easel in shock.

"But…but you've only known him a week!" Emiko screeched.

Alana tilted her head to the side to give a wink to her parents and looked back at her flabbergasted sister. "I know. But…I think I may be pregnant with his child."

Emiko's eyes widened even further and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before scowling. "That isn't funny."

"No but your face was." Alana laughed and poked her sister in the side. "I know we haven't known each other that long but it is what I want."

Emiko sighed and moved to collapse on the couch with their parents as Alana finished setting up her paints. "Well, I can't stop you. I am still a bit shocked about it though."

Alana chuckled softly and began to work. "I am still shocked he asked me to tell you the truth." She shrugged and tried to think of how to put into words what she felt. "Momiji is lonely. He has his cousins and everything but for the most part he is alone. He doesn't trust people or let them in easily. So to me, it is further proof of how he feels for me that he would even ask me to move in with him."

Emiko thought about her sisters words for a minute and then turned to her parents. "What do you two have to say?" She asked sounding almost like a scolding mother.

"Alana is old enough to make this decision if it is what she wants. We will be right here for her if she changes her mind and if she doesn't. We like Momiji." Mizu told her softly. "I expect them to come to dinner at least once a week though so we can know how things are going."

Alana nodded in agreement and zoned back into the painting. She heard her family discussing things and sighed softly in relief. They were okay with her decision, everything was going to be okay.

Soo. At times I feel like I'm rushing things and then I think: well...Tohru moved in with them after one day... LOL. But this is the way the story is developing as I type so it will go as it wants.

Akito does seem a bit out of character for those who know the anime and even the manga. But in my defense, I picture her as she is seen in the last few chapters, awkward, shy, and desperate to be happy. I imagine she's worked hard to get where she is with Shigures help.

I hope you enjoyed. The next chapter is already being developed so it shouldn't take so long. REVIEW