For Lotta Devon. Finally, the reason for Namie's tiredness and stress. I hope it lives up to your expectations. Tell me if you like it or not. :)

Half an hour into cookie making, and Namie could feel a panic attack coming on. The dough wasn't mixing properly, they were running out of chocolate, and, to top it off, Momiji still wouldn't leave. She stared down at the recipe in desperation. Why wasn't it working? It had been a long time since she had made the cookies and never by herself. Try as she, might, Namie couldn't remember all the tricks to making them turn out perfectly. She used to make them so easy.

Namie glanced up to see Momiji hand Anii a small handful of chocolate chips, while munching on a few himself.

"Momiji! What are you doing? Stop eating the chips!"

Anii jumped, the chocolate halfway to her mouth, but Momiji looked back at Namie unabashed.

"We were checking they hadn't been poisoned," he replied.

"I don't care," Namie snapped back. "We don't have enough chocolate for you two to be messing around! If you insist on staying, then the least you can do is grow up and help me figure out why the dough isn't setting up."

Namie watched guiltily as the ray of laughter that had appeared on Anii's face after the poison comment slide off, to be replaced by big watery eyes. Grinding her teeth, Namie looked back at the recipe to avoid Momiji's steady gaze and Anii's hurt one. Tears were pricking the corners of her own eyes. This was supposed to be fun. It had always been Namie's self-appointed role to prove that everything could still be normal, but it was painfully obvious just how out of her element she was. She couldn't even keep as simple activity like making cookies turning into a complete disaster.

"Hey Namie?" Momiji said softly.

"What?"

Namie raised her head just in time to see Momiji blow on his hand, sending a cloud of flour towards her. It hit her full in the face, completely whiting out the top of her shirt and filling her still open mouth with the fine dust.

Anii stared aghast at her older sister, waiting for her reaction. Momiji bit on his lip, his sparkling eyes showing the suppressed laughter. Namie stood very still. The shock had struck her dumb, mind reeling for something to say. Slowly she unstiffened, rubbing flour our of her eyes.

When she had swallowed enough dry powder to speak, Namie gave an exasperated sigh. "I can not believe you," she said, turning to the bowl of sloshy cookie dough. She stirred the spoon a few times, then pulled it out, still dripping with the mixture.

"You're going to pay for that, Momiji Sohma."

By the time Jien can in to see what all the noise was, the entire kitchen was a mess. Namie had splattered on Momiji's face with liberal amounts of batter, he had smashed an egg on her head in retaliation, and Anii's cloths were more white from flour than any other color.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Jien said, aghast. Namie straightened up, choked on some flour, and generally giggling and gasping for breath too much to tell him off for language. Or to tell him anything.

Jien eyed all the batter on Momiji. "What happened to the cookies?"

"We," Namie looked around and gestured to the mess. "Well, we ran out of chocolate."

There was a beat of silence before Anii tossed a handful of flour into the air. "Poof," she said softly as the dust fell down around her, explaining how she had gotten covered so completely.

"You're all insane." Jien shook his head and left.

Momiji caught Namie's eye and winked. She made a feeble attempt at giving him a stern look that quickly failed and gave way to wide grin.

"Here." Jien reappeared suddenly and tossed a mostly full bag of M&Ms on the counter.

"Yay Jien!" Anii cheered and hugged him around the waist.

Amid the back and forth of, "Ugh, you're covered in flour!", "Yay!", "There's hand prints on my shirt!", "You're the best brother ever!", Momiji looked back at Namie. She brushed her hair out of her face, smearing egg and flour paste across her forehead, still unable to hold back a chuckle.

OOO

Their special ultra-chocolate chip and M&M cookies were quickly completed and baking peacefully in the oven, and together they tackled the seemingly impossible task of cleaning up. Jien had gone to get more paper towels and Anii was in her room, putting on a new shirt, leaving Momijij and Namie alone in the kitchen when he heard her soft voice from behind him.

"My mom's in the hospital."

The phrase sounded so simple but it made Momiji's heart stop. He stared at Namie who focused on the spot she had been scrubbing.

"Is she going to be ok?" was the only thing he could think to ask.

Namie shrugged and went on in an empty voice, "I don't know. She has cancer. That's why we moved here. So she could get better care."

Momiji swallowed. "So that's the reason for all the stress and being behind."

"I've been taking on most of the responsibility. Dad doesn't want me too, he says it's too much, but he works a lot and someone's got to do it," continued Namie with no inflection.

"And the tiredness?" Momiji was afraid to speak above a whisper.

Namie bowed her head. "I don't sleep anymore. I developed insomnia a little while after she got sick." She closed her eyes and murmured so faintly Momiji had to strain to hear, "It's the only way I can escape the nightmares."

Momiji didn't know what to say. I'm sorry, was useless. It'll be alright, was untrue. Then he saw Namie reach up to wipe a tear and, without thinking, he stepped forward, pulling her close and enfolding her in a tight hug. Her face settled perfectly into the crook of his shoulder and her arms wrapped around his back just as tightly. And, Momiji realized, he didn't have to say anything at all.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Namie made the best pasta Momiji had ever eaten, they finally got all the flour off the top of the cabinets, Anii methodically introduced Momiji to all her stuffed animals, and Jien, apparently thinking after the hug that Momiji was trying to put the moves on his sister and wanting be a protective brother, followed Momiji around constantly. When Momiji pointed this out to Namie, he heard her laugh for the first time, a deep throaty sound that he liked instantly.

In no time they had all collapsed, exhausted, on the couch to watch TV. Anii yawned and went to bed quickly, followed by Jien not long after. Namie hadn't mentioned Momiji leaving yet, and he didn't want to, so he sat with her, expecting to stay for a few more minutes.

He hadn't even noticed the TV and the room swaying and going dark until he heard the door swing shut in the hall, and he jumped awake.

The two of them had fallen asleep together, Namie wrapped in a striped afghan with her head on Momiji's shoulder and his head on her cheek. Momiji looked up to see Namie's father watching them and he leaped to his feet awkwardly.

"Dad," Namie mumbled, blinking and pushing herself up with some difficulty. "How's Mom?"

"The new treatment went alright. You guys can go see her tomorrow if she's awake," he replied, still not commenting on the scene he'd walked in on. He watched his daughter stand upright, still wrapped in the afghan and swaying slightly. "Are you ok sweetie?"

"Yeah," Namie nodded blearily. "Sleepy. I was asleep. Still kinda foggy."

"You go to bed." Her father put a hand on her back and steered her down the hall. "I'll walk Momiji out."

"Ok." Shuffling down the hall, Namie smiled gently at Momiji over her shoulder, waving with just the tip of one hand poking out of the blanket. "G'night Momiji. Thanks for your help."

"Anytime," he called back. He grabbed his sweatshirt, which had been left by the door after it taken most of the batter attack, thankfully leaving his undershirt fairly clean, and followed her father to the door. As they reached it, Kiosho Kimura glanced back just in time to see Namie and her blanket disappear into her room.

"Mr. Kimura, I swear we've been working all afternoon and we were just tired and we fell asl—" Momiji began but Namie's father cut right through him.

"That," he said firmly, stopping Momiji in his tracks, "was the first time I've seen my daughter sleep in I don't know how long."

Momiji looked at him, trying to figure out if he was in trouble or not.

Kiosho Kimura smiled at Momiji's confusion. "She must feel safe with you. I don't know if she's told you about my wife's condition—"

"She just did."

He raised his eyebrow at Momiji approvingly. "I think that makes you the first person Namie's told since we learned of the cancer. Not to mention the only person outsider her family who's made her smile." His smiled faded and his face was serious as he bowed his head to Momiji. "You have my highest thanks."

Momiji could feel the weight of the man's words and, once again could think of nothing fitting to say, so he simply bowed back.

Disclaimer: Fruit's Basket and its characters belong to Natsuki Takaya. M&Ms are owned and produced by Mars, Incorporated.