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Namie couldn't even remember the last time she'd been to a party. She felt horribly out of practice as she stood outside the Sohma gates once again, working up the nerve to push the button for the intercom. She wouldn't even have been there, had even planned out a polite excuse to give the head of the family, except Momiji had insisted, stressing how mush fun it would be and how much he would love to have her there and to introduce her to the rest of his family.

So Namie was outside the gates in her best party clothes. A coral tank top and long lacy skirt that went just below the knees, planned out by Anii. Of course the outfit was not at all warm, and Namie had to couple it with a thick coat and boots that somewhat ruined the nice effect.

Swallowing butterflies, Namie reached out and pushed the button.

The intercom buzzed. "Sohma residence," a tinny voice said.

"Um, Namie Kimura. I'm a friend of Momiji Sohma."

Static for a moment, then the tinny voice replied, "He's expecting you. Come in and follow the path to the main house." The gate clicked open.

Taken aback, Namie peered down the walkway. To be honest, she had expected Momiji to be there to walk her in but now that she thought about it, it seemed silly. She hadn't told him exactly when she would arrive so of course he wouldn't want to wait there all evening.

She followed the path to the large bright house, just as the voice had said and knocked on the door. A person she'd never met before opened the door

"Who are you?" he said, not unkindly, his dark eyes regarding her inquisitively from under careless black bangs.

Namie's voice seemed to have gotten stuck. She should have called Momiji from the gate. She should have told him exactly when she would come. She shouldn't have come at all.

Hatori, passing to see who was at the door, saved her. "Oh it's alright Shigure, this is Momiji's friend. Come in Namie."

Namie let out a breath of relief, smiled, and followed. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. Hatori led her and the other man to a room where about two-dozen people were gathered.

"Momiji," Hatori called and Momiji suddenly separate himself from the thickest cluster of people, bounding over with a huge grin.

"You came!" he cheered, grabbing Namie's hand dragging her towards the others. "Come on, come on! You have to meet everyone!"

He wasn't kidding. Namie was introduced to so many people in rapid succession that she thought her head was about to explode. Most of the people there were around Momiji's age or Hatori's and only a few weren't Sohmas. Namie recognized a girl from her year at school that she'd never spoken to before with one of Momiji's cousin. The man who'd let Namie left with Hatori to wrap his arm around the head of the family, and they started talking to another man with long white hair. Haru was sitting peacefully in a corner with a gloomy, dark haired girl, but he waved at Namie when he saw her.

There was no way Namie was going to remember any of their names but as the people obviously knew each other very well and went right back into their animated discussions, Namie had a feeling they weren't going to notice her much at all.

"And this…" Momiji pulled at Namie's attention for one more introduction. He let a girl forward with the air of someone saving the best for last. "Is Tohru Honda."

Namie smiled politely but was out done by the girl's absolutely over the top polite response.

"Oh it's so nice to meet you! Really it's an honor!"

Her energy and eagerness was a bit overwhelming actually. Momiji, standing next to the girl, watching her with a happy smile, seemed calm by comparison. Namie was almost relieved when a shy little girl, a bit older than Anii, tugged at the girl's skirt to say something and pulled her away.

Unfortunately, Momiji went too.

OOO

Namie's prediction had been correct. Most of the family was too preoccupied with each other to care about her. A large number of them flocked around the polite Tohru girl, flitting in and out, and all over the house, too fast for Namie to keep track of. This wouldn't have bothered her, Namie would rather not have to make small talk with a bunch of strangers, but Momiji was one of the most avid followers. The few times Namie managed to catch a glimpse of him in almost two hours, he had a silly grin on his face, said something to the Tohru girl, and followed her off somewhere else with the rest of her posse.

Left to fend for herself, Namie settled for sitting with Haru and the dark haired girl who turned out to be his girlfriend. The three of them talked little if at all, but Namie thought it was better than standing by herself in a corner. At least she knew Haru, and he was being perfectly friendly and welcoming.

"Hey Haru, where'd Shishou go?" another cousin of Momiji, this one with vivid orange hair was asking.

"Dunno," was Haru's absent minded response. "I'm going to get food." And he sauntered off.

The orange hair boy nodded and his gaze fell on Namie. "Who are you again?"

"Oh," Namie looked up. "I'm Namie. Momiji's friend.

"I didn't know Momiji had any friends," the boy said, surprised.

"She's the girlfriend that's supposed to make you and Tohru jealous, idiot," Haru's girlfriend said indifferently.

It was as if the air had been sucked out of Namie's lungs with no warning. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't speak, she could barely even think. Finally, after too long of sitting there struck dumb, she managed to splutter weakly, "I'm not his girlfriend actually."

"Oh. Well, nice to meet you anyway," the orange hair boy said awkwardly before disappearing.

Namie stared down at her hands, trying to avoiding looking at any Sohmas and willing herself to keep her face neutral. Finally it was just too much. She stood up and turned to leave, running into Haru as he came back with food.

"You ok?" he said, looking at her intently.

"Yeah, fine," Namie replied as casually as she could. "I should really get going. Curfew's 11."

"Oh right. See you then."

And without anyone else noticing or bothering to stop her, Namie fled.

OOO

"Hey Momiji."

"What?" Momiji turned to Haru, pouting at being pulled from Tohru.

"I thought you'd like to know that Namie just left," Haru said calmly.

"What? So suddenly?"

"She said her curfew's 11."

"But that's almost forty minutes from now! She could have stayed longer."

Haru leveled his gaze at Momiji, for once not as sleepily and out of it as he usually was. "Momiji she doesn't live around here. It'll take her a while to get home on the bus."

"Oh ok." Momiji said sulkily.

"You can catch her to say goodbye if you run now," Haru continued.

Momiji casted a glance at Tohru.

"Tohru's not going anywhere right now." Haru said, reading his mind uncannily. "Namie didn't look so good when she left," he added, softly but firmly.

Finally, Momiji turned back to Haru, nodded once, and wove his way to the door without another word.

OOO

Deep breath in, deep breathe out, Namie told herself while she waited at the bus stop. Just a few more minutes, then you're on the bus and home where nothing's wrong. Except the usual.

She blinked hard. Stupid. She'd been so stupid. For a little moment she had let herself think… but it was just stupid.

"Namie!" Momiji's voice came towards her down the sidewalk.

Cursing under her breath, Namie arranged her face into a stony shell. She turned to look at Momiji jogging up to meet her.

"Hey," he said. "You left without saying goodbye."

"You looked busy," Namie replied nonchalantly. "I didn't want to interrupt and I had curfew."

"Oh ok." Momiji rocked back and forth on his heals. "Did you have a nice time?"

Namie couldn't honestly say "yes" so she settled for a noncommittal motion with her head that thankfully Momiji took for assent.

"Me too," he grinned, starting to chatter on, unconcerned. "It's so awesome that Tohru and Kyo were here. They live far away you know, in the city, and they can't come to visit very often. Kyo wanted to run a dojo there and so of course Tohru went with him, which was kinda selfish of Kyo if you ask me, but I guess he and Tohru have to be together always so—"

"Momiji go inside." Namie had had enough. "You don't have a coat, you look cold, and you shouldn't be missing your party standing out here with me."

"No, I'm fine," Momiji said, taken aback at her sharp tone. He peered intently at Namie's face and, though he was usually so observant, finally noticed for the first time the tears pricking her eyes and the frustrated twist at the corner of her mouth.

"Namie what's wrong? I thought you said you had a nice time?"

"No! I did not have a nice time!" she finally snapped. "I was left by myself among a bunch of strangers with nothing to do and no one to talk to."

"I saw you sitting with Haru," Momiji said faintly.

"Because Haru was the only person I knew! And the only one who bothered to notice I was there! So of course I sat with him and his gloomy girlfriend while you went off God knows where pining after Tohro!"

"Tohru. And I wasn't—"

Namie screw her eyes shut and took a shuddering breath.

"Tell me you didn't invite me just so you wouldn't be alone. So you could say to what's her name that you had a girlfriend and make her jealous."

Momiji sucked in a breath, eyes wide with shock. "Who told you that?"

"Haru's girlfriend."

"I… I—" Momiji seemed to be lost for words. Namie was acutely aware that he didn't deny it.

At that moment the bus rounded the corner, heading towards them. Namie stared down Momiji's huge brown eyes.

"Not that I can't understand your infatuation with your cousin's girlfriend," she said with deadly calm barely covering her anger, "But next time you need to use someone as a tool to make her jealous, don't bother asking me."

Namie turned sharply, jumping the bus steps before Momiji could say another word. Curling up in a seat so Momiji, still standing on the curb, couldn't see her, she let the first tears start to fall.

Disclaimer: Fruit's Basket and its characters belong to Natsuki Takaya