Disclaimer: As everyone knows, I do not own the characters from Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers. However, I do own Neko, my OC. And Sebastian (Sebi-chan) owns me... In fact, he owns the whole neighborhood! (I know that two other households and the local pizzeria are all feeding him... It's a wonder he's not big as a house!) It's still not worth suing me; I am but a humble fan.
Thank you, Kamio-sensei!
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AN: This is completely AU. Not canon! Things are different--deal with it! Don't like, don't read!
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Tea and Saké
A Hana Yori Dango FanFic
By Janice Rips
Chapter 5: Cat up a Willow Tree
"So, Tsukasa, how did you get out of your engagement to Shigeru?" Soujiro asked.
"I just told her the truth, that I didn't love her and I couldn't make myself. Unfortunately, I had to break her heart to do it. If I had been truthful about it from the start, that might not have happened. I still feel guilty about it," Tsukasa admitted. "Look, Soujiro, your best chance to get out of this is if she doesn't want to do this either. But if she likes the idea, or if her sense of duty to her family is stronger than her sense of self-worth, and she can be bullied into it, you may just be stuck."
Before Soujiro could reply, Yuki returned, saying, "I don't think you need to worry. The girl would rather swallow strychnine first. She's begging her dad to get her out of it."
Soujiro looked shocked and insulted. "Am I really that bad a match in her eyes?"
"Hey, wait a second," Tsukushi said, "weren't you just trying to get out of this?"
"Well, yeah, but strychnine? Don't you think I should be a little offended?"
"Umm, she thinks you're a 'vapid, self-absorbed philanderer.' Later, she also said you were lazy, smug, and would probably give her 'The Clap'," Yuki continued.
"Ouch," commented Akira, "I guess you really made an impression."
"So, how is she doing?" Rui asked, concerned.
"The truth? She's angry, homesick, disgusted, lonely, and wallowing in self-pity. Oh, and she's drunk, and getting drunker by the moment. She's polished off most of a bottle of Irish cream, and is eating green tea ice cream directly out of the carton, with the occasional handful of wasabi peas thrown in for good measure," Yuki made a face.
"Ew, gawd, she's gonna hurl," Akira said, making a similar face.
"Probably," Rui agreed. "Think one of us should go check on her?"
"I'll do it," Soujiro volunteered grimly.
"'Jiro?" Tsubaki questioned.
"Well, maybe I can prove to her that I'm good for something, at least," he muttered.
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Neko heard the door to her rooms open. "Simon? Is that you? Have my guests left yet?"
"Sorry, Kitten, we don't scare that easily," Soujiro replied, strolling into the room.
"Oh. It's you," Neko muttered, a sour grimace on her face.
"Well, you don't have to look so happy about it," Soujiro answered with a smile, then, glancing at the ice cream container, "Need any help with that?"
"No. Get your own ice cream," she grumbled peevishly.
"Oh, come on. Is that any way to be?" he coaxed.
Neko sat up straight, pulling herself together. "No, seriously. There's more in the freezer behind the bar. This one's almost empty," she said sheepishly, making Soujiro laugh.
He rummaged about in the freezer, pulling out a pint of chocolate. "Spoon?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Second drawer on the left," she replied with a sigh. She scooted over so he could sit next to her. "So nice of you to join me," she said in her most saccharine tone.
"The pleasure is entirely mine," he answered sincerely, with an exaggerated bow.
"I was being sarcastic," she remarked.
"Oh, well, just so you know," he commented as he joined her on the futon couch, "I'm so vapid and self-absorbed that sarcasm is completely wasted on me."
Neko blushed deeply. "I suppose your little girlfriend told you everything I said."
"Um... She's not my girlfriend," he stated firmly.
"You could have fooled me. I thought she was going to pass out when I told her about my grandfather's intentions," she said, digging into her ice cream again.
"Yuki is a very special friend. She made a big impact on my life, and helped me get past a major emotional hurdle," Soujiro replied seriously.
Neko pinpointed him with her green gaze. "Did you ever sleep with her?"
"Once," he answered honestly. "It was enough for both of us."
"Maybe," she shrugged. "Whatever. She still has deep feelings for you, even if she's just being protective."
"That's a very astute observation. Say," he said with a sly grin, peering at her from under his bangs, "you're not drunk, are you."
"Hardly, damn it. It would take a lot more than this to give me more than a buzz."
"Considering how much tequila you downed at that party, I figured as much. By the way, nice outfit."
"Now you're the one being sarcastic," she commented.
"Nah. You look comfy. Like you're finally being yourself, instead of what you think others expect of you."
"Feh. Who'd want to be me?" she snorted. "A gaijin, Amazon freak with no say in her future, a future that includes a family legacy that will probably destroy my liver by the time I'm forty-five. Yeah, I'm just rollin' in roses," she said bitterly.
"Hey, when you're born into money, your future is decided for you. That's just how it is. It's the same for all of us," he commented sympathetically.
"But that's just it--" she shouted, "--this isn't what I was born into! I never expected to be handed over to a complete stranger when I turned thirteen and be told 'This is what your life will be from now on. Get used to it.' I had no reason to expect this! I feel like chattel!" Tears ran down her cheeks. She turned away from Soujiro, embarrassed. "Aw, crap. You must think I'm a spoiled brat."
"Not at all. It's okay to cry. C'mere." He took her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. "Besides, we both know what you think of me, so why should my opinions matter? It's what you think of yourself that counts, and frankly, it doesn't sound like you value yourself enough. You're a striking young woman. A bit exotic, but that just adds to your appeal. You just need to believe in yourself."
"I-I guess I misjudged you, Nishsikado-san," she sniffled. "Mind you, I still don't intend to marry you." She gave him a watery smile.
He grinned back. "Fair enough. Would you accept my friendship? Or," he teased, "we could be 'friends with benefits'."
"Pfftt! Thanks, but I'll pass on the 'benefits'. I think I could handle the 'friends' part, though."
"So, do you think you could handle a few more friends? Everyone's still waiting out there. They're worried about you, and Akira wants to apologize."
"All right. Damn, but I look a mess," she fretted.
"Don't sweat it. As I said, you look like you're finally being yourself. Everyone's waiting to meet the real you. Let's go."
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Soujiro told Neko, "Just wait here a moment. I want to talk to them first."
Neko nodded, and he went ahead. Without turning around, she said quietly, "Simon, I know you're there. Tell me, what do you think? What should I do? Can I trust these people?"
"Oui, ma petite. I think you should. The young man there, his future is just as much at stake as your own. Now that he knows that you do not seek to capture him, I believe he will help you, if he can. The one called Rui has been very outspoken on your behalf, and I believe you have Madame Tsubaki's sympathies, as well."
"I know you are my father's eyes and ears here, Simon. What do you think he would want me to do?"
"Mademoiselle Nicollette, ton Papa, all he wants for you is that you should be happy," he assured her. "Follow your heart, and the rest will fall into place."
She nodded, comforted. "Thank you, Simon, that's what I needed to hear."
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"Well, Soujiro," Akira asked when he came into the room, "did you end up putting her to bed?"
"Considering that she wasn't sick, she wasn't really drunk, she wasn't sleepy, and she wasn't 'interested', I'd have to answer 'no'," he grinned.
"Is she going to be okay?" Rui asked.
"I think so, but you can judge for yourselves. I've talked her into coming out of her rooms. Maybe we can coax the whole story out of her."
Soujiro went back to the other room. "Kitten, are you ready?" Neko shrugged. "You can do this, Neko," he reassures her, "remember, you are strong, you are beautiful, you are brave." He took her hand and led her back to the others.
"Um, hi," she said, staring down at her feet. "Sorry. Guess I can be a little stubborn." A soft nudge along her calf let her know Sebastian followed her out of her rooms. She crouched down to scratch behind his ears, still not looking at her guests. Tsukasa glanced at the cat and shuddered, while Sebastian calmly wove back and forth between Neko and Yuki, then rubbed up against Tsukushi's knee.
The others were uncertain what to think of the change in Neko since dinner, but Akira decided to go first. "Neko-chan, I'm sorry. I was caught off-guard and I overreacted. Please forgive my boorish behavior?"
She looked up with an uncertain smile. "It's all right, Mimasaka-san. I didn't know about the roses. It must have been disconcerting, to say the least. Hey," she smiled a bit wider, " that shirt looks better on you than it ever did on me."
"Somehow, I sincerely doubt that," Akira replied gallantly.
"So, what's the deal?" Tsukasa demanded, "Are you marrying Soujiro, or what?"
"TSUKASA!!!" a chorus of voices shouted him down.
Neko held up her hands and laughed, "No, it's okay. That is the key to this mess, isn't it? Better to get it all out in the open, yes?" She went over to the bookshelf and took down a photo album, then sat cross-legged on the floor. The cat tried to climb into her lap, but she set him aside. "If you want, I'll tell you the whole thing, but it may take awhile." Receiving affirmative nods all around, she began.
"This all started twenty years ago. My grandfather had a Saké garden in front of his brewery, where people could sit and drink, and get a light meal, yakitori, grilled meats, what-have-you. My mom was seventeen, and helped out serving food and drink, while finishing up her apprenticeship.
My dad was a young military officer at the time. He was stationed on Okinawa, but as supply chief, he had to make frequent trips to the big island, which is how he happened to be in Kumamoto that night. He and his assistant, one of the men in his unit, were in town to pick up a payload to be delivered the next day, and they decided to go out and amuse themselves that evening.
They were drinking at my grandfather's shop, and my dad's assistant got very drunk and very obnoxious, the stereotypical Ugly American. Things came to a head when the man started to abuse my mom. He pulled her into his lap, and stuck his hand inside her yukata. My dad lost his temper and punched him out, then made formal apologies to both my mother and my grandfather. The other man was disciplined when they returned to base, and Dad never worked with him again.
Over the next few months, my dad returned to Kumamoto many times. Whenever he had a shipment in the area, or when he had leave, he found himself returning to Yanagizaké. He was unfailingly polite to my grandfather, and never improper or overly familiar with my mother. No one observing from the outside was aware that he was courting her with soft words and small gestures of kindness, not even my grandfather. It was a complete shock when the tall young gaijin asked for his daughter's hand in marriage on the evening of her eighteenth birthday," Neko paused in her story.
"Oh, wow. That is so romantic," Kazuya sighed happily.
The F4 rolled their eyes, Yuki giggled, Tsubaki gave him a look of extreme pity, and Tsukushi muttered, "Kazuya, must you always act like a girl?"
"Oh... Did I say that out loud?" he squeaked, blushing deeply.
"Anyway," Rui interrupted, taking pity on the younger boy, "what happened next?"
"Grandfather refused, of course. It's one thing to take a gaijin's money, it's quite another to make him part of your family. Besides, he had every intention of marrying his daughter to his toji and keeping the business in the family."
"So, did your father fight your grandfather?" Tsukasa asked, thinking of his struggles with his own mother.
"Of course not!" Neko retorted indignantly. "My father is an honorable man! An officer and a gentleman! He graciously accepted my grandfather's refusal, and went back to Okinawa."
"But then how--?" Soujiro asked, intrigued.
"Neither my grandfather nor my father counted on the strength of my mother's love-- and her will. She packed what she could carry, took some money from the shop till, and, one week later, showed up at the gates to the base. Dad tried to convince her to go home, but she absolutely refused. Dad moved from the barracks into base family housing, and a military chaplain married them. This picture was taken on their wedding day." She passed around the open photo album.
A young man with close-cropped red curls in a dress uniform posed somberly with a willowy auburn-haired Japanese woman in an elaborate gold-trimmed red furoside. They gazed at each other tenderly, her brown eyes meeting his green, as they started their lives together.
"They look very devoted to each other," Tsubaki said softly, tears glimmering in her eyes.
"They still are. Very much so," Neko replied with quiet pride.
"And your grandfather?" Akira asked.
"He took it badly. He lost his heir, and he lost face. He acted as if my mother were dead. He never recognized the marriage. Just over two years later, I was born. My parents sent him a birth announcement, with pictures. He never acknowledged that, either. Mom continued to try to reach out to him, sending pictures and letters that were never answered, but also never returned.
For seven years, we went where the military sent us, rarely staying in one place for more than six months, never for more than one year. I was often lonely, but it was the same for all us military brats. Friendships were precious and fleeting.
Then, when I was seven years old, everything changed. In America, they have these huge, multi-million-dollar lotteries. Usually, the winnings are split many ways, but not always. I can still remember the day it happened. My dad came home, very quiet. he hung up his uniform, then went to speak with my mother in the other room. I heard her gasp, then she started to cry. I ran into the room, convinced that something disastrous had happened, maybe something with Grandmére and Grandpére. Tears were streaming down my mom's face. I asked, fearfully, if something had happened. Dad smiled at me and said, 'Yes, Kitten, something has happened. Something wonderful.' Mom gathered me in her arms and clung to me, laughing and crying all at once, unable to speak. I was so confused," she said with a wistful smile. "Dad retired from the military as soon as his stint was up, and my parents started the winery, about an hour's drive north of New York City.
Over the next five years, my parents indulged any whim that took my fancy. They bought me my own horse. I went into the city daily for all sorts of lessons. I fell in love with Capoeira after seeing rodas during the Carnival festivals, and began studying. After seeing the film Strictly Ballroom, I insisted on dance lessons. I studied guitar. In winter, I learned to skate at Rockefeller Center. In short, they spoiled me rotten. Every summer, I traveled with Dad all over, visiting cranberry bogs, pineapple farms, you name it.
Then, in early spring the year I turned thirteen, the letter from my grandfather in Japan arrived. In it, he insisted that my mom bring me to him. That it was time for my apprenticeship to begin. This was the first time the man had acknowledged my existence.
I entered his house a gangly, illiterate child, completely lacking in social graces. I could barely read Japanese, and wrote everything in Romaji. I didn't know proper terms of address, and had no culture, no traditions. In his eyes, I was less than worthless. I certainly wasn't a fit heir. He set out to mold me into what he wanted, the currency with which to buy back his honor. The perfect Japanese wife.
I spent the past three years in immersion school. My parents were welcome to come see me during summer break, but I was not permitted to leave Japan. After regular school hours, I received extra tutelage in Japanese culture. During the fall to spring equinoxes, every spare moment was spent at the ryuha, learning the brewing of Saké.
My grandfather is firm, but not intentionally cruel. He truly believes what he does is in my best interests," Neko said softly, her eyes teary and downcast. "Unfortunately, I'm too much my mother's daughter. I want to marry for love, and the hell with my status."
"Is there someone you love, Neko?" Tsubaki asked the dejected girl.
She sighed and shook her head. "No, but if the right one comes along, I don't want to be trapped in a marriage of convenience," she said, avoiding Soujiro's gaze. "I'm sorry. This whole mess has been weighing on my mind, and it makes it hard to trust people. It seems like everyone has ulterior motives, and no one gives a damn what I want. I know that's no way to make friends."
"Look," Tsukushi said, "anytime you need someone to talk to, I'll listen. If I'm not at school, check at the dango shop. Heck, if you want, you can come by in the middle of the night--everybody else seems to," she smiled ruefully.
"As far as making friends goes," Soujiro added, "as long you be yourself, I think you'll do fine." Everybody nodded in agreement.
"Would anybody like another cup of coffee before we call it a night?" Neko led the way back into the dining room among the congenial murmurings of her new friends. She never noticed the young man now gazing after her with deep admiration and growing affection.
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AN: Hi folks! It's my birthday!!!! Sagittarians (like me and Nishikado-san) Rock! This long chapter full of back-story is my birthday gift to all of you--hope you enjoy it! Reviews are always appreciated, and now anonymous reviews are allowed. (Thanks to SarahNThachter for letting me know I had them disabled!) Oh! The Sultan Wok guy is here! Hooray for delivery bento!!! Later, minna-san!