Spring Part 13: Success!

A/N: And here we are at the main event. While Gure is nervous, everyone else seems to have adopted a wonderfully chill attitude. After enjoying a wonderful lunch, everyone kicks back to enjoy Aya's surprise. Sorry for the choppiness. There are a lot of people who wanted to chime in.

As always I do not own Fruits Basket

Gure is Nervous

Aya had asked me to gather the family to the outdoor stage that had been set up near the great hall. I felt my excitement rise as I knew that I was about to experience Aya's surprise. I knew it had something to do with Chris and the long instrument case that definitely did not hold a violin. I was antsy and my antsyness translated to hyperactivity. I couldn't settle. Everyone gathered on blankets and the bento boxes were brought out. I would have to wait to give my bento to Chris but I reserved a place on the blanket for him. The newly betrothed were disgustingly cute as they fed each other sushi. Mine and I, who were both momentarily missing our partners, sighed; Kyo told them to quit it until Tohru held a piece out to him which he graciously accepted; and then Yuki laughed at him for giving into the lovey-dovey mood that had descended over our picnic blanket. It was a wonderful scene that wasn't even destroyed when Aya's mom came by to say hi to Yuki. He quietly said hello and accepted her invitation to tea.

Tori is Pensive

It was a wonderful day. Mayu and I were happy that we had accepted Kureno's invitation. Of course we didn't really want to know what would happen if we hadn't. It was almost time to announce our engagement and we were both excited as this would be the first time one of the Zodiac Members was engaged. I looked at Mine and thought, Aya will be next. And then I looked at Gure….. I wasn't sure what to think. It was the only black spot on a day that could have been perfect. Mayu turned to me after having broken up a playful fight between Yuki and Kyo and said,

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh I'm just pensive."

She saw that I was looking at Gure, who was playing keep away with Kyo's chopsticks, and said,

"I know. Well. Who knows what the future will bring."

As I wanted to raise the mood I said,

"So, is your life complete now that you've made me a bento box? It's really good by the way."

"I don't know why I fixated on that particularly. I think it was a symbol of the domestic bliss that I didn't have at the time."

I took her hands and interlaced my fingers in hers. The unfamiliar coolness of her ring brought my attention to it.

She smiled and said,

"Do you think they they'd flip if we eloped? I'm not sure I'm ready for a Sohma family wedding."

"If we elope Kureno would likely come and find us whether we were in Timbuktu or on the dark side of the moon and strongly suggest that that we reconsider our decision. I think that weddings probably fall under family traditions."

"You're right, you're right."

After a while our merry band had decided that the Dog needed a walk, or rather a run as he had managed to upset Kyo's bento box during his silly game. Kyo chased angrily after Gure, shouting curses at his surrogate father as he ran; Tohru followed worriedly; and Yuki provided play by play commentary in between gasps of laughter. After a while, Mine, who likely realized we needed a minute alone, went to sit with Kana and her husband. When we were finally alone, I readjusted my position so Mayu could relax against me and kissed her forehead.

Mayu is Pensive

I laid back in his arms and looked into his green eyes which were mercifully perfectly normal.

"So," I asked, "when do you think they'll start asking when we're going to have a baby?"

"Well they will wait until after our wedding. But I'd say we have a week or so after that before they start in. I'd like to get Eichi settled as their main caregiver and to get off my crazy schedule before we even consider that. I want to be there for our baby."

"I'm with you on that."

He kissed me then, and we sat quietly contemplating our future.

Soon after Aya stepped onto the stage and our circle returned to the blanket. Somehow Kyo had been mollified as the three returned holding cups of mochi. They handed us the sweet treats and the idyllic air that had prevailed before the upset returned.

Aya Gets Things Started

Walking out onto the stage, I looked out over the field of Sohmas before me. I found my little circle gathered together and waved. They returned my wave and I felt their collective happiness from the stage. Taking a breath, I welcomed them all.

"Welcome everyone. I'm so glad you have come to celebrate our beautiful cherry trees once again. This year we have a special treat for you. My friend Christian Gerard has kindly agreed to play a special song to honor the trees. He is a talented musician, and I'm so excited that he decided to share his talent with us. So without further ado, please welcome Chris!"

Chris Takes the Stage

I heard the applause ring out but I didn't feel nervous. I picked Gure out of the crowd, waved and then hugged Aya. I heard a few cries of "We love you Mr. Fox!" and was confused that none of them were Gure, who was being mercifully quiet. I wasn't quite sure how I'd handle that much attention from him at the time. Aya stepped off the stage, leaving me alone. I then sat down, adjusted my microphone, played the opening notes of Sakura, and began to sing.

Gure is Amazed

When Aya announced that his special guest was Chris I was happy; When Chris came onto the stage wearing his kimono and fox ears, I was very amused; When he began to sing I felt like I was going to swoon. We caught eyes once and he smiled. I felt a bolt of electricity sizzle through me. When he was finished and joined me on the blanket, I grabbed his hands and said,

"Why didn't you tell me you could sing. Oh you have no idea how sexy you are right now."

"What would be the fun of telling you everything about me at once!"

Tori announces his Engagement

Kureno, who was making his rounds, stopped by our blanket and took in the sight of our happy circle. He seemed very satisfied and welcomed us all again.

"Chris, thank you once again, that was beautiful; Tori and Mayu, nice to see you; and Mine and Aya you should be proud. This is truly a wonderful festival."

We all greeted and thanked Kureno. We then let the newcomers enjoy their bento boxes. And as was the new tradition, Gure was ribbed for feeding sushi to Chris. When it was time, Mayu and I rose and announced our engagement. Everyone clapped and cheered and wished us well. Kana and her husband visited our blanket and the six of us chatted amicably.

Gure is satisfied

Chris was impressed by my bento box. Everyone began to tease us when I began to fed him sushi, but I figured turn around was only fair. The kids, while a bit reserved around him, said hi and invited him to dinner. Many of the family members came and told Chris how much they enjoyed his performance; even a few of the elders came to visit, saying that his playing was exquisite. And those who stopped to speak to him also praised me. It was very promising and I hugged Chris. It didn't even matter that my parents weren't there. I turned to Aya to tell him how happy I was but he and Mine had slipped away during one of my conversations with a family member.

Aya Slips Away

Everyone was settled and enjoying their time together so I felt that they wouldn't miss us if Mine and I disappeared for a bit. I took her hand and we walked deep into the grove of cherry trees. A bench and a burbling fountain stood under a weeping cherry tree whose branches cascaded down to create a little nook. It was my favorite place on the compound as it was so peaceful and hidden. It had provided me several quiet moments when the Snake's chatter grew too loud. I sat down and pulled Mine onto my lap. Kissing her deeply, I asked

Are you as happy as I am?

I'm sublimely happy.

Mine is Sublimely Happy

As the cherry blossoms blew around us in the breeze I couldn't imagine being happier. I knew at that moment we had found our place and I knew that whether it was that day, or another, or a thousand days after that that I would accept his plea to spend the rest of my life with him amongst the protective bows.

He looked at me and said,

"This is Tori and Mayu's day. But one day we will come back here. I just wanted to show you this perfect place and promise to one day take you here."

I respected his wish to wait. I had gathered that Aya had had a particularly close relationship with Tori, and that he had originally taken it very hard when he started dating Mayu. So I vowed to be patient.

He kissed me once again. I felt like the happiest woman in the world.

It was starting to get dark so we made our way back to the others. They looked at us, wondering if we had taken that step but Aya quietly said,

"I didn't want to step on your toes Tori-San. This is your day. You should have all the attention today. Mine and I can wait."

Tori Would Have Liked a Bit Less Attention

I looked at Mayu and I could tell she was thinking the same thing. We both could have done with a little less attention that day as streams of people had come to congratulate us. We were happy when they turned their attention to Gure and Chris but I knew that we signed up for their attention as it was part of Kureno's condition for accepting our marriage. We looked at each other and realized that we had several events to go to just like this. I turned to Aya and asked,when is the next major festival?

In July. Its our Tenebata festival when we wish upon the stars.

He turned to Mine and said,

"I'm sorry love, we have to make another tree so that we can hang people's wishes on it. And we'll need to make hundreds of origami ornaments."

She sighed and said,

"Can't we recycle the lantern?"

"Well unfortunately not, it's too tall for that. No, we'll create it out of bamboo or balsa so that we can burn it along with the wishes. It would be more spectacular that way."

She sighed again.

He turned to us and said,

"I'm enlisting you lot. It took Mine and I weeks to fold all of those ornaments last year."

She quipped.

"Are there any other holidays centered around trees that I should know about?!"

Gure smiled and said,

"Christmas."

"Well that's fine because you don't have to build the tree. The tree builds itself!"

"You do if it's an artificial tree."

Aya yelled, "Sacrilege!"

He then looked at the sky and said,

"Speaking of trees, it's time to light the lanterns."

Aya is Happy

The entire family gathered in the cherry grove. Taking Mine's hand in mine, I counted down from five. We all held our breath and reveled in the lights as they burst forth. The cherry tree, surrounded by commercial lanterns, filled the grove with beautiful light. It turned out exactly as I had envisioned. I had timed the lanterns to turn off and on in a pattern that was synchronized to a recording of Chris playing the shamisen. Kissing Mine, I said,

"I think we did it love. I think our family is closer."

"Well even if the rest of the family isn't the six of us are closer. I think you might have magic in you yet."

"Tomorrow you and I will sit down and have a nice cup of tea and talk."

"Actually, if the conversation is anything like you say it is, I'll take a glass of sake."

Gure Is Happy

When Aya dimmed the lights I grabbed Chris' hand and felt the satisfying pressure as he closed his hand around mine. I stole a quick kiss as I was sure most people were paying attention to what Aya was doing. Stealing a few moments with him was delightful. His lips touched mine as the lights burst on. My kiss was tentative at first, but he took my quick peck and turned it into a real kiss. It was likely that someone noticed, but at that time I didn't really care nor did Chris. For the most part we had been accepted by my family on some level. But as we didn't actively receive hate I counted it as a success. I leaned his head on my shoulder and said,

"I don't even care that my parents aren't here, it's their loss. They missed your song and Aya's lights. I'm really really happy right now."

I felt a tap on my shoulder and Eichi was there saying,

"If you two want, I'll stay with the kids tonight. Tori's likely going to be busy tonight."

"Thanks Eichi."

Kyo heard him and said, "The kids aren't going to be in until midnight. You'll be watching an empty house."

"Hey!" I yelled. "Try 11pm. I don't want you running around alone all night."

"It's Sunday tomorrow, we don't have school!"

I turned to Chris and said,

"Hmm...parenting is so delightful isn't it. They respect their elders so much."

He laughed and said,

"Well everything has its ups and downs. But I've always wanted to give it a go."

I smiled back and said,

"Well this lot are almost ready to fly from the nest but perhaps someday we can adopt our own chick."

He smiled at him and said,

"Perhaps."

Tori Has A Visitor

Mayu and I were just a good as our word and attended all the events but were exhausted at the end. We had found a quiet corner in the semi dark to watch the lights. The two of us were exhausted and ready to go. But we were surprised when my father arrived, saying,

"I know I missed most of the festival, but I wanted to see the lights. They always make my smile as the glow brightly in the dark like beacons of hope."

After greeting him I said,

"Yes, Aya went all out this year."

"So Kureno said you promised to come to the family's festivals from now on."

"I'm sorry for losing sight of what's important father."

"Well, that's the benefit of traditions like this. They help us reorient ourselves, find our way back to what matters. But you both look exhausted. You should get home. You've had a long and eventful day. You need a bit of time to yourselves."

Thank you father. He waved goodbye, and left us to snuggle together as we watched the lightshow.

A/N: So This is almost the end. There are a few more things to say, but our favorite circle of friends has brought most of the Sohmas together, with a little help from their friends. I hope you have enjoyed this. But if you have any suggestions please R and R. And as always, I remain, Acta!