Chapter 20
I am hard at work on chapter 21 and a gift-fic for a fan. I know they are still coming a little slow but hopefully they are worth the wait.
It was late when everyone finally headed out. It amused Alana slightly that of the nine people who had been there, eight of them were eventually heading to the same place. Momiji had pointed out the other's houses during one of their evening strolls; it had really shown Alana just how big the Sohma estate was. Hatsuharu paused by Momiji's car, "Momiji…" He paused. "Akito mentioned Tohru was due today or tomorrow…" He hesitated then let out a little smile at the calm, content expression on Momiji's face as he stood there with Alana tucked under his arm. He tapped the back of his hand on both Momiji's and Alana's forehead in goodbye. "See you this weekend."
Momiji was quiet on the way home but Alana wasn't worried. He would talk if he needed to. When they arrived back home, Momiji pulled Alana into a fierce hug. Surprised but happy Alana returned the hug just as strongly. After a moment, Momiji headed away and guided the two of them to cuddle on the couch. "I'm not worried." He finally said into the silence of the room. Alana didn't reply, just sat waiting for him to talk. "When Tohru first said she was coming back and engaged, I felt a little adrift and emotional. It was unexpected in a way, though I knew they would one day be getting married, you know? I'm happy for them and that's really down to you." Alana glanced up at him a little confused. "You've helped me see…I love Tohru and at one time might have even wanted to be with her, but…as corny and cliché as this will sound, I've realized I'm not in love with her." He paused to chuckle slightly and slid his hands to frame Alana's face and bring it closer to his. "I am completely in love with you." He watched as a blush stole across her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her deeply.
Alana felt slightly light headed and her heart constricted in her chest with love and joy and she poured her feelings into the kiss as much as possible. She loved Momiji with the same passion and conviction and surety that he loved her and she never wanted him to doubt it. When they broke apart, both pairs of eyes were a little watery but they had warm smiles for each other. "I am in love with you as well Momiji. Completely and utterly." Alana whispered, laying a light kiss on his lips before cuddling back into his chest.
Momiji grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels until an old black and white movie came on and just let it play quietly in the background. The two of them watched the movie, happily cuddled together. As the night moved on, eventually, the two wound up lying along the couch cuddled together with a throw tossed over them. They slept deeply and well, cuddled together until the early morning light shone through the uncovered windows.
~Art of Love~
Alana was gathering the last of her things in preparation for heading to her grandfather's gallery when there was a knock at the front door. She jogged over to open it as Momiji finished cleaning up the mornings breakfast dishes. "Good morning, Yuki!" Alana greeted stepping back to let him inside. "Good morning, Machi!" She added when she noticed the quiet girl behind him as he moved into the house.
"Good morning, Alana!" Yuki replied as Machi nodded. "I hope we didn't disturb you coming by so early."
"Not at all!" Alana grinned, following them inside to Momiji.
"Good morning!" Momiji greeted, wiping his hands clean and tossing the towel haphazardly onto the clean kitchen counter. "What brings you by this morning?"
Yuki shrugged. "I just wanted to visit a bit more one on one." His expression was open and honest but Momiji saw the slightest smirk on Machi's face.
"You are running away from Ayame, aren't you?" Momiji teased with a grin.
Yuki let out an explosive breath and mock scowled at Momiji who grinned cheekily back at him. "Yes, alright! He is still high energy from our arrival and took our measurements for the ball."
Momiji laughed and Alana shared a grin with Machi whose smile, while smaller was no less mischievous. "Well Alana has work today and we were going to walk if you are interested in coming along."
Machi and Yuki nodded agreeably. "It would be nice to see where Alana works." The two watched as Alana and Momiji finished putting everything together and got ready to head out. A few minutes later, the two couples were on their way.
"Tell us a little bit about yourself, Alana. Like how you met our Momiji here?" Yuki asked as they headed out of the Sohma estate.
Momiji laughed a little at the blush that raced across Alana's cheeks. "Kisa is a classmate of my younger sister's. She saw me leaning against the compound listening to Momiji play. Then the two of them conspired to introduce us." Alana admitted. She trailed her hand down Momiji's arm, linking their fingers together.
"Momiji's playing is beautiful. Hopefully, we will be able to convince him to play for us soon. It is a rare treat." Yuki gave Momiji a supportive smile.
"Soon you'll be able to see it more often! After all, Momiji will be playing at Matoko soon!" Alana replied smiling proudly at Momiji.
Momiji's ears turned a light pink as he fought a blush. "As will you." He pointed out, trying to get the attention off of him.
Alana nodded looking pleased and proud. "Yes, but I play in front of others all the time. It is less of a treat and more ordinary." She let out a small 'oof' as Momiji pulled her tight to his side suddenly.
"Alana, there is nothing 'ordinary' about your playing." Momiji said seriously looking deeply into her eyes.
Alana's blush deepened and she smiled sweetly up at him in response. "Thank you, Momiji." It warmed her to hear that he thought she was so talented when she felt the same about him.
After a moment, they continued on their walk and Yuki cleared his throat. "You play the piano, correct?"
Alana nodded taking a deep breath and looking over at the light haired boy. "Yes. My mother's father was a concert pianist and I used to listen to him playing when I was growing up. I thought it was amazing the way he could coax such beautiful delicate music from an instrument so big! And I wanted to do that too one day." She smiled fondly in memory. Her mother had frequently commented on how it was such a shame the two had never met or got to play together since he had died a few years before her birth.
"What do you like to play best?"Machi asked quietly.
Alana took a moment to consider. "I do love the classics but somethings it's nice to play some contemporary music as well. There is an American band called Evanescence that I enjoy. If you like, I can play a piece for you when we arrive at the Gallery."
The last few minutes of their walk, conversation turned to music and finding out what random bands Yuki and Machi liked in comparison to their own likes. Yuki and Machi looked impressed when they finally reached the Gallery and stepped into its welcoming beauty.
"Do you have any pieces on display?" Yuki asked as they entered and looked around.
Alana nodded. "A few. I'm going to let my grandfather know I am here. Momiji, can you show them around for a few minutes?"
"Sure!" Momiji replied giving her a kiss on the cheek and leading the two of them off. "I've come here with Alana a few times so I know where most things are. But also, different sections have signs." Momiji grinned impishly pointing at a sign that read Modern Art. Yuki chuckled at him and then they began to wander around, Momiji pointing out which ones he knew were Alana's as they went.
Alana joined them with a smile and found Yuki and Momiji talking while Machi studied a modern art piece titled, 'Summer Daze' that was a study in greens, blues, and yellow that looked as if it was viewed through foggy glass and had a whimsical quality you didn't find often in modern art styles.
"Hey Machi!" Alana greeted her, letting the boys continue their talk. "Find something you like?"
Machi glanced over at her and gave a slight nod.
"This is a good piece. The artist who painted it is an old friend of my grandfathers. He's about…sixty now I think. But his hand and eyes are still as steady as a twenty year old." Alana told her with a grin. "He comes in every other month and drops off any new pieces he's looking to sell. If you like, I can show you other examples of what he's done." When Machi nodded in agreement, the two began to walk down the hall.
~Art of Love~
Yuki and Momiji watched their girlfriends talking about one of the paintings on the wall and Yuki turned to give Momiji a smile. "Thank you for this morning, Momiji." Momiji looked at him a little confused so Yuki explained. "After you cleaned the kitchen, you left the rag on the counter. I can't explain how much it means to me that you and Mine and Aya do little things like that to keep Machi at ease."
Momiji blushed lightly and shook his head. "It's not a hardship Yuki. She matters to you, so she matters to us." To Momiji it was that simple. If you were part of the family to one, you were part of the family to all. "Besides, Machi is a sweetheart. We are glad for her to be part of the family." He clapped Yuki on the shoulder and winked. "Maybe it's your time to propose next."
Yuki rolled his eyes and was saved from replied by the girls reappearance. "Machi would like me to play the piano so we are heading to front room." Alana told them and kissed Momiji's cheek gently. He linked his fingers with hers and the four of them moved across the gallery to the piano.
When Alana's grandfather saw her heading for the piano, he pulled a remote from behind the main counter and turned off the softly playing ambient music. A few customers looked up at the ceiling for a moment then towards the piano with slight interest before continuing their inspections of the art.
"What would you like me to play?" Alana asked Machi as she settled at the bench. When Machi just shrugged with a murmur of 'contemporary', Alana set her fingers to the keys for a moment as she thought and then began to play.
The song she chose was 'Good Enough' by Evanescence. It was really a beautiful piece and Machi and Yuki could understand why she liked it. Momiji thought about the words as Alana began to sing them softly. Anyone would do anything for someone that made them feel 'good enough', especially after a lifetime of feeling 'not enough'. Look at the Zodiac members. Because of the way we had been treated by Akito, when we fell for someone, we fell hard.
Once she had finished, she blushed lightly at Yuki and Machi's applause. "Any other requests?"
"'Moonlight Sonata'?" Yuki asked. Once Alana started playing, Yuki held out a hand to Machi and coaxed her into a dance. Momiji grinned and sat comfortably beside Alana on the piano bench. They spent the next few hours chatting while Alana entertained visitors with her piano playing, only taking a break for lunch before she continued. When they finished for the day, Yuki declared that they were going to treat the other couple to dinner for allowing them to follow them all day.
Momiji teased Yuki about avoiding going home but the four of them had an enjoyable evening out and Alana once again felt very welcomed into the Sohma family. They went their separate ways once they returned to the estate and made plans to meet up again soon.
"I like them." Alana told Momiji as they settled on the couch for their night time snuggles.
Momiji kissed her on the top of her head. "I'm glad." He murmured into her hair.
"Kisa and Hiro are coming over for dinner tomorrow right?" Alana asked cuddling closer to him.
Momiji nodded, feeling content and happy just sitting there with her in his arms. "Yeah. Kisa is coming over a little early, she wants to do the shopping with me."
Alanna nodded back to him. "I love your family." Alana told him with a soft smile. "They have made me feel so welcome."
Momiji smiled, an overwhelming feeling of love for his family and this woman filling him. "I'm glad. Your family has done the same for me." Long minutes passed before the two separated to head to bed. They paused outside of Alana's door to kiss good night and feel quickly to sleep.
~Art of Love~
The next afternoon, Alana was home alone when she met the infamous Tohru.
Surprise! How do you like that ending? Don't worry, chapter 21 is already started!