"A Moment of Stillness"
a Christmas Fruits Basket fanfic by Ysabet MacFarlane (ba087@chebucto.ns.ca)

Original release date: December 24, 2003

*****************

In the end Shigure took responsibility for the Christmas party, but it really 
began with Momiji.

It was mid-December when Tohru noticed how distracted the boy was at 
lunch.  Usually when he ate with her and her friends, he was bubbly to the 
point of making conversation difficult, but that day he was quiet.  It was a 
slow day, and Tohru, Arisa, and Saki found themselves eating with all 
four of the Sohma boys.  Yuki was too worn out from student council 
work to do much more than eat and be glad that he'd survived another 
culture festival, but Kyo and Haru were both in high spirits, arguing the 
merits of various combinations of strikes and counters.  The finer points 
were sailing far over Tohru's head, but the discussion was certainly 
distracting, especially when one or both of the boys jumped up to 
demonstrate their point.  As a result, it took her a while to notice that 
Momiji hadn't said anything at all for a long time.

When she did notice, her attention shifted from Kyo and Haru to him, and 
Kyo immediately sensed her change in focus.  He stopped in mid-sentence 
and followed her gaze, and Haru followed his.  Yuki glanced up when 
they fell silent, and Arisa and Saki did the same.  It took less than ten 
seconds for Momiji to become the center of attention.  Six pairs of eyes 
peering intently at him made him look up from his lunch, and he blinked 
at them.

"Huh?  What is it, To-ru?"

"Is everything all right, Momiji-kun?"

His answering smile was just slightly off.  "Of course!"  Saki shook her 
head at him, and the smile weakened a bit more.  "Mostly."

"Spill it," Kyo ordered, leaning on the table.

Momiji shrugged.  "It's almost Christmas.  It makes me a little sad."

"What's so special about Christmas?" Arisa asked.  A wicked smile 
curved her lips.  "None of us are making trips to love hotels this year, are 
we?"  She glanced across at Tohru, and then pointedly at both Yuki and 
Kyo.  Kyo scowled at her, and Yuki coughed uneasily.  Tohru only 
blinked.  "None of us have any secret lovers, right?"  Yuki kicked Arisa 
under the table, startling her so much that she fell silent.

"Nope," Haru said mildly, his face expressionless.  Yuki gave him a 
worried look, and Haru shrugged, playing with the earrings in his right 
lobe.  "Why's it make you sad, Momiji?"

"I really like the idea of a family holiday," Momiji replied.  "Mutti and 
Papa told me about Christmas traditions when I was little."

Arisa shrugged.  "New Year's is for family.  Don't you guys all have a big 
family thing then?"

"It's a little . . . formal," Yuki said after a moment.  "It's probably not 
quite what he has in mind."

"Your mother's a foreigner, isn't she?" Saki asked.  "American?"

Momiji nodded, then shook his head slightly.  "She's German.  Papa met 
her when he went to school overseas."

"What'll you be doing for Christmas, then?" Arisa wanted to know.  
"What do German people do?"

"Papa and Mutti and my sister are going to visit Mutti's family," Momiji 
said calmly.

Arisa frowned.  "You're not going?"

Yuki interrupted before Momiji could think of a good way to respond.  
"What would you like to do, Momiji?"

The younger boy looked thoughtful.  "I don't know.  I thought about doing 
something at the House, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea.  I just 
think it would be nice to have the family together."

"The family, huh?" Kyo muttered.

"Well--" Momiji rubbed his nose.  "Probably not the whole family."

Kyo looked at Tohru, whose face was set in concentration.  "Hey, are you 
planning something already?"

She blinked at him, distracted.  "Ah . . . no."

Haru laughed, resting his chin in one hand.  "You're a lousy liar, Honda-
san."

********

"Shigure-san, have you thought about doing something for Christmas?" 
Tohru asked over supper.  Shigure glanced up from the notebook he was 
scribbling in.

"Not really.  Why?"

Tohru opened her mouth to explain, but Yuki put a hand on her arm to 
stop her.  "Shigure, do you have any deadlines coming up?"

"Not for another month or so."

"Are you sure?  You're not 'forgetting' something so you can torment 
your editor?"

Shigure looked insulted.  "What are you getting at, Yuki-kun?"

"Holidays give you too many opportunities to dodge her," Yuki said flatly.  
"Then the rest of us have to try to tune out her wailing after she exhausts 
herself chasing you around."

"Ah, that."  Shigure sipped his tea.  "As it happens, the only thing I'm 
working on at the moment is a first draft of a novel.  Mit-chan told me not 
to take any small assignments until next year."  He paused.  "Now that you 
mention it, I think she said something about wanting to enjoy her holidays 
this year."

Yuki took his hand off Tohru's arm and went back to eating.  "Go on, 
Honda-san."

She blinked at him, and then turned back to Shigure.  "I was wondering if 
we could do something for Christmas."

"Momiji wants to," Kyo said from the other side of the table.

Shigure grinned.  "We could have a party."

"He said something about it being a family thing," Kyo pointed out.

Yuki rolled his eyes.  "Who do we know besides family, idiot cat?"

"We can mention it to the other Jyuunishi, of course."  Shigure was 
thinking out loud, counting on his fingers.

"Don't tell Akito," Yuki ordered, narrowing his eyes.

"Would I--"

"You arranged for him to go the villa when we were there," Yuki replied.  
"Don't tell him, Shigure."

Shigure waved a hand in his direction.  "Sure, Yuki-kun.  I won't.  Let me 
see . . . we can invite Saki-chan and Arisa-chan, of course . . . and Mayu-
chan . . . oh, this could be fun."  The three teenagers exchanged uncertain 
looks.  "Just leave the planning to me," he continued cheerfully.  "This 
novel's been giving me a headache lately.  But--hmm, Yuki-kun, could 
you do me one favor?"

********

Yuki stood outside the classroom, wondering how Shigure had talked him 
into doing his dirty work.  He sighed and rapped lightly on the door, and 
went in.  His teacher looked up as he came in, setting her pen down.

"What can I do for you, Sohma-san?" she asked.

*Mayuko won't come if I ask her,* Shigure had said.  *She gets all 
suspicious.*

*So why would she come if I ask her?* Yuki had wanted to know.

Shigure's answering smile had made him vaguely nervous.  *Tell her Ha-
san will be there.*

Yuki cleared his throat.  "Um . . . Mayuko-sensei . . . we're having a party 
on Christmas Eve.  At our house.  And Shigure asked me to relay the 
invitation."

A skeptical look crossed her face.  "What's he planning now?"

Yuki shook his head.  "It's mostly a family party, so I don't think it's 
totally a scheme."

She frowned slightly.  "A 'family' party?"

"He said to tell you Hatori would be there."

Mayuko rested her forehead on one hand.  "He never lets up, does he?"

Yuki sighed in commiseration.  "No."

********

Shigure was on the phone when Tohru and the boys arrived home that 
evening.  "But, Ha-san, you have to come!" he was exclaiming.  "Mayu-
chan's coming."  He turned around and shot Yuki a look that clearly said 
'she is coming, isn't she?'.  Yuki shrugged and headed upstairs, hoping to 
get out of range before Shigure was free to come after him.  His cousin's 
voice followed him up the stairs.  "Yes, she's definitely coming!"

********

Somehow it all came together despite leaving Shigure in charge.  On 
Christmas Eve he left Tohru and the boys cleaning the house while Hatori 
drove him to the bakery to pick up the Christmas cakes he had ordered.  
Momiji tagged along when Hatori came to collect Shigure, and stayed to 
help with the preparations.  His eyes were wide and shining while he 
watched Kyo stringing lights around the living room.

"You don't get nervous at all on the ladder?" he asked while Kyo worked.  
The ladder was rickety and old, resulting in Kyo always being the one to 
change light bulbs or do anything else that involved setting foot on the 
thing.  Shigure's justification of the arrangement--that the cat was the only 
one who would always be able to throw himself clear if it collapsed under 
him--made just enough sense that Kyo went along with it.

"Nope, it's fine," he replied.  "Just don't get in the way."

"I won't."  And for once it was true.  Momiji stood perfectly still in the 
middle of the room, and the lights went up without incident.  When Kyo 
jumped lightly down for the last time and they switched the lamps off and 
the strings of colored lights on, the room was transformed.  Momiji smiled 
so widely that Kyo didn't have the heart to grumble at him, even when the 
younger boy called for the others to come and see.  "Yuki!  To-ru!  Come 
look!  Come see what Kyo did!"

Kyo shot Yuki a challenging look when he and Tohru came and peered in 
from the hallway, but the rat only blinked back, unable to find fault.  
Tohru squealed almost as happily as Momiji had, and Kyo smiled.  "Need 
any help in the kitchen?"  Her happiness was infectious.

Shigure and Hatori drafted all of them to help carry things inside when 
they returned.  The younger Sohmas' jaws dropped as they moved one 
white bakery box after another into the kitchen, with an array of other bags 
following.  "Did you buy the place out, Shigure?" Yuki asked, counting 
the boxes when the car was empty.  Eight.  Eight Christmas cakes.  There 
was nothing to do but open the boxes and peer inside.  Yes, eight--eight 
fluffy heaps of confection, decorated with strawberries.  One was so 
covered with them that the white icing was almost invisible.  Shigure 
grinned.

"That one's for Tohru-kun," he said cheerfully, as he opened a different 
box and eased out a bowl brimming over with scarlet roses.  A small plant 
was nestled on top of the flowers, and he carefully handed it to Kyo.  
"That gets hung in that doorway," he instructed, nodding at the laundry 
room door.  "Be careful with it."

Tohru was gazing wide-eyed at the roses.  "Shigure-san, they're amazing."

He shrugged slightly.  "Just because we don't usually live like the idle rich 
doesn't mean we can't sometimes," he replied, handing her the bowl.  
"Those go in the living room, I think."  Tohru bent down to inhale the 
flowers' scent, and came up smiling.

"Come see how pretty Kyo-kun made the room look," she said as she 
obligingly carried the bowl out of the kitchen.

********

The party was scheduled to start at six, but the house had been swarming 
with Jyuunishi for hours by the time Mayuko knocked at a quarter past.  
Arisa and Saki had shown up shortly after five to help with final 
preparations and had instead been sternly told that everything was under 
control and settled into the living room with cups of tea.  Having finished 
most of the cooking by then, Tohru was also escorted out of the kitchen 
and left with them, followed by Kyo's exclamation of "I can take a bunch 
of chickens out of the oven myself!  Go sit!"

Forbidden to help, the three girls almost fell over each other to answer the 
door when Mayuko knocked.  Teacher and students blinked at each other 
for a moment, and then Mayuko laughed.  "How many girls is that man 
taking in?"

"Just the one, Mayu-chan," Shigure said brightly, poking his head into the 
hallway.  "But you know you're first in my heart."  He batted his eyes.  
Mayuko rolled hers, and followed the girls into the living room.  By the 
time they had settled around the kotatsu, spreading the quilt over their 
legs, the room had begun to fill with people Mayuko assumed were 
Sohmas.  They were all younger than she had expected, and she was 
relieved when Hatori came in and flashed her a smile.  Tea was passed 
around, and someone brought in a large plate of cookies.  Shigure put his 
hands on his hips and looked around as if he was doing a headcount.  "I 
think that's everyone who said they were coming," he said, nodding with 
satisfaction.  "Boys, remember we have ladies present.  Mayu-chan, shall 
we introduce you?"

Mayuko nodded.  "That would be nice."  She looked around the room, 
noticing how the soft colored light was playing off the faces around her.  
Looking at so many Sohmas in one place she could see something like a 
family resemblance, but it wasn't something she could pin down.  The 
lights reflected interestingly in their eyes.  She glanced at her other 
students; Arisa looked content, but Saki was gazing at their hosts with 
intent curiosity.  Mayuko wondered if there was anything she could do to 
make the girl take that much interest in class.

"All right.  You know Ha-san, of course, and Aya and Momicchi and Ha-
kun . . . so.  Hmm."  He had been gesturing as he spoke, and now paused 
and looked around thoughtfully.

"Stop making such a production out of it!" Yuki muttered.  "She knows 
almost everyone here.  Mayuko-sensei, these are Sohma Kisa and Sohma 
Hiro--" he nodded at the two youngest Jyuunishi "--and she is Sohma 
Kagura."  The two children were adorable, Mayuko thought, especially the 
girl.  The boy had a wary look in his eyes that made him seem like a 
miniature adult.  The other girl, who looked about the same age as 
Mayuko's students, flashed a bright smile.  "And, Uotani-san, Hanajima-
san, those are Sohma Hatori and Sohma Ayame."

"Did you invite anyone who couldn't come?"  Arisa looked around.  
"How many people are in your family, anyway?  Are you all cousins?"

Shigure smiled.  "No, no--Yuki-kun, Aya, Kyo-kun and I are cousins.  
First cousins.  Well, Yuki-kun and Aya are brothers, I should say."  Arisa 
opened her mouth, looking from Yuki to Ayame, but Shigure continued.  
"Let me see, now; Kagura is my second cousin twice removed on the other 
side, and Sa-chan is _her_ second cousin, I think; Ha-kun and Hiro are--"

"Shigure, do stop," Hatori said mildly.  "Just say that we're a very 
extended family and leave it at that."

"Master . . . my father is away, so he couldn't come," Kyo said.

Tohru looked sad.  "It would have been nice if Kazuma-san could've 
come."

Kyo shrugged.  "He'll be back next week, so I'll go help him scrub the 
dojo down.  It's ok."

"We invited Ritsu and Rin," Yuki said, "but Ritsu's with his parents, and 
Rin . . . "

"What did she say when you asked her?" Haru asked.

"She hung up on me," Shigure said.

"I asked her again this morning," Kagura added.  "But she gave me one of 
her scary looks and said she wasn't coming."

"Your sister?" Mayuko asked.

"No, she's my--" Kagura paused and began silently ticking relationship 
ties off on her fingers.  "Um . . . fourth cousin?  She lives with me, 
though."  She glanced at her watch.  "Kyo-kun, you said you needed to do 
something to the chicken around now."  Kyo got up and headed into the 
kitchen, shooting Tohru a look when she made to go with him.  She settled 
back down.

"Rin would probably be happier here," Haru said quietly.  "Kagura-nee, is 
your mom home tonight?"

Kagura shook her head slowly.  "She has to go to a work party.  She 
offered to stay home with Isuzu, but . . . "

Haru nodded.  "Yeah."

"If she'd be happy being here, why wouldn't she come?" Saki asked 
quietly.

"Because she's stubborn," Haru replied.  His eyes darkened, and he took a 
thoughtful sip of tea before setting his cup on the table.  "I'm gonna go 
get her."  He stood up.

Kagura choked.  "She won't let you in the front door, Haru-chan.  You--"  
She cut herself off with a sigh.  "You know that."

"Yeah, I know.  I'm going anyway."  He smiled slightly.  "I've got a 
warm coat with me.  I'll be fine even if she keeps me on the doorstep."

Mayuko noticed that several of the Sohmas were following this exchange 
closely and looking confused by it, so she didn't mind not knowing what 
was going on.  She drank some tea while Haru headed into the hallway 
and began hunting his boots.  The girl he'd been talking to--Kagura, Yuki 
had said?--sighed and stared down at the table.  After a minute she looked 
up again, rummaging through a pocket.

"Haru-chan?"

"Hmm?"  Haru poked his head back around the corner.

"Catch."  Something small and shining flew through the air, and he 
snagged it easily.  "I don't want you freezing to death."  Haru looked into 
the palm of his hand and smiled.

"Thanks, Kagura-nee.  You're an angel."  He disappeared again, and after 
a moment the outside door opened.  "I'm leaving now."

"Come home safely," Kagura and Tohru said in unison, echoed by the 
others in the room.  When the door closed again, Kagura smiled in 
response to Yuki's questioning look.  "I gave him my house key."

"Rin'll kill you," he replied, shaking his head but smiling back.  "Do you 
think she'll come?"

Kagura snagged a cookie and took a small bite, delicately licking a loose 
sprinkle from the top.  "I have no idea.  Want to take bets on which of 
them is more stubborn?"

"Haru-nii," Kisa said instantly, the first thing she had said since coming 
into the room.

"Definitely Rin," Hiro said at the same time.

"Bets are sounding good."  Shigure grinned.  "Send the cookies over here, 
would you, Kagura?"

********

Haru carefully unlocked the door and entered the house, trying not to 
make any noise.  He took his boots off and eased the door shut behind 
him, closing his eyes to listen for Rin.  He stood motionless in the 
entryway until a faint splash from down the hall told him that she was in 
the bath; opened his eyes and sighed wistfully.  Sneaking up on her in 
there was something she might have found amusing once, but somehow he 
doubted it was a good idea now.  He took a deep breath and sternly told 
his heart to settle down.  Getting Rin out of the house would involve 
approaching her as family, not as her ex-boyfriend.  He waited until he 
was sure he had himself under control, acclimatizing himself to the hint of 
her scent that permeated the house, and only then padded down the hall, 
silent in sock feet.

When Haru knocked on the door, he heard Rin's faint murmur of surprise 
before she called out.  "Did you forget something?"

"Not exactly," he said clearly, and waited.  There was a long, still silence 
before he heard the splashing of a body leaving a tub with unusual speed.  
It was only another moment before the door flew open and Rin was 
standing in front of him, wrapped in a robe and shivering.  Haru reminded 
himself not to pull her against him to warm her.  Small damp footprints 
marked the floor behind her, and she bent to pat at her calves and feet with 
a towel, not noticing that the movement gave him a clear look at more 
bare skin than she wanted to display.  The sharp contrast between that 
casualness and her care to cover herself before opening the door drove 
home the awkwardness between them even before she spoke.

"What are you doing here, Haru?"

"I came to walk you to the party," he replied matter-of-factly.

Her head came up sharply.  "What?"

"Christmas party at Shigure-sensei's house," he clarified.

She frowned.  "I know what you meant.  I'm not going."

Haru blinked guilelessly at her, watching her eyes cloud over with mixed 
emotions.  "I came to get you," he repeated.

"Don't be ridiculous," Rin said, straightening to her full height.  It put her 
eyes at the same level as his chin.  She draped the towel over her shoulders 
and glared up at him.  Her skin was flushed from both the recent warmth 
of the bath and the anger she used to shield herself from the rest of the 
world; her hair was braided and clipped up, probably to keep it out of the 
bath water, and it gave her the look of a child playing at being a grand 
lady.  Haru could think of only a few occasions when he had seen her hair 
up at all.

"I'm not," he replied quietly, not responding to the anger.  "You should 
come."

"No."  They stood staring at each other for a long moment.  "You should 
go back and have fun, Haru."

He kept his face blank as he shook his head.  "I'm not leaving you by 
yourself.  Either you come with me to Sensei's house, or it'll be just the 
two of us here."  He shrugged very slightly and leaned back against the 
wall, noticing the faint flicker of desperation that crossed her face.  Rin 
knew he didn't bluff.  "Your choice."

"I could just go in my room and lock the door," she pointed out.

"Hmm."  Haru gazed back at her, carefully noncommittal.  Given the 
chance Rin could think on her feet much faster than he could, but he was 
infinitely more patient.  And she was badly off-balance.  He waited.

It took only a few minutes before she broke her eyes away from his and 
stormed past him, cursing under her breath.  He stood still until her 
bedroom door shut behind her, and listened for the click of the lock.  It 
didn't come.  He smiled slightly and went into the living room to wait for 
her to get dressed.

********

The party was a quiet one, but Mayuko found that she was enjoying 
herself.  She noticed that Kyo seemed to be spending a lot of time in the 
kitchen, which amused her more than it had any right to.  He wasn't 
someone she would have expected to be cooking, and the fact that most of 
his family seemed to trust him with the task suggested he was good at it.  
Tohru kept looking as if she wanted to get up and help, but her expression 
was one of guilt, not of worry.  So far the evening was a relaxing one, and 
it got better when Hatori moved to sit near her.  Even Shigure's amused 
smile didn't bother her too much.

Tohru finally stood up, looking determined.  "I'm going to go help Kyo-
kun," she announced.  Yuki looked as if he was going to protest, but 
Kagura laughed and shook her head.

"Don't bother, Yun-chan," she said.  "See that face?  That's the face of a 
woman who wants to see the state of her kitchen for herself.  Right, 
Tohru-kun?"

"Right," Tohru replied.  She took two steps toward the doorway and 
stopped, blushing.  "I mean, it's not _my_ kitchen--"

"Of course it is," Shigure said mildly.  "But what'll you do if Kyo won't 
let you in?"

She gave him what was, for Tohru, probably a dark look.  It was adorable.  
"I'll hug him if I have to."

"What kind of defense is that?" Arisa asked, which was exactly what 
Mayuko wanted to know.

Kagura shook her head, catching their attention.  "That's low, Tohru-kun."  
She and Tohru exchanged amused glances, and then Tohru skipped out.  
Arisa and Saki looked confused, and the younger Sohmas exchanged 
startled glances.  What caught Mayuko's attention, though, was that Hatori 
and Shigure were both laughing quietly.  When she started to ask Hatori 
what was funny about it, he only shook his head and smiled.

Momiji had been sitting with Hiro and Kisa, but he migrated over to 
Kagura during the following lull in conversation and nestled against her.  
She blinked down at him in surprise, then shrugged slightly and put an 
arm around him.  He rested his head on her shoulder and stared up at the 
sparkling lights, silently transfixed.

********

"You're not supposed to be helping," Kyo said when Tohru came into the 
kitchen.

She lifted her head and tried to glower at him.  "Shigure-san said it's my 
kitchen," she said sternly.

He blinked back.  "So?"

"So I'm helping.  What can I do?"

Kyo shook his head at her.  "You can't work in here with your hair down, 
dummy.  Got an elastic or something?"

Tohru sifted through her pocket.  "Yes."  He took it from her and turned 
her around, coming to stand behind her.

"Hold still," he said quietly, running his hands lightly over her head and 
pulling her hair back.  Tohru stood still while he braided it, gazing at their 
faint reflection in the frosted window.  After a moment she felt the tug of 
the elastic being secured at the bottom of the braid, and brought her hand 
up to touch it.  It was a smooth plait.

"I didn't know you could braid, Kyo-kun," she said.

He shrugged and dropped his hand on the top of her head.  "It's not like 
it's hard, y'know."

"So what needs to be done?" she asked after they had stood like that for a 
few moments.

"Um . . . "  She turned around to look at him, puzzled.  "Well, right now 
I'm mostly keeping an eye on the chicken."

Tohru frowned slightly.  "How much attention does it--oh."  Her voice 
lowered.  "Kyo-kun, are you uncomfortable being out there?"

"A little," he admitted.  "I know they don't mind me being there--well, 
except the rat, but whatever--but it feels strange."

"Oh," she whispered.  "Can I stay out here with you for a while anyway?"

He peered down into her eyes and smiled a little.  "Sure."

She put her hand over his and tugged it down off her head, wrapping her 
fingers around his.  She ignored the fact that doing so made her blush a 
little, and Kyo pretended not to notice.  They slid down to sit on the floor, 
listening to the sounds of conversation coming from the other room and 
the faint crackling of the cooking chicken.  Kyo squeezed Tohru's hand 
gently.

"Merry Christmas."

She smiled and closed her eyes happily.  "It is."

********

Mayuko was content to sit quietly with Hatori and watch the younger 
people interacting.  Kisa was braiding Kagura's hair, her face intent with 
concentration.  It was turning into a complex style; Shigure had wandered 
off and brought in a box of Christmas decorations that he'd purchased, and 
several thin ribbons were finding their way into the braids.  Tohru and 
Kyo were wandering between the kitchen and the living room, and Kisa 
had already caught Tohru and added a bow to the braid that was already in 
her hair.  Mayuko wondered how long it would take before the girl 
mustered the courage to ask Ayame if she could braid his hair; she had 
been casting hopeful looks at it before she went to work on Kagura.  
Ayame caught Mayuko's eye with a smile and a wink.  He was being 
more subdued than she had ever seen him.

"I sat him down and told him it would a good Christmas present for Yuki 
if he kept himself under control tonight," Hatori murmured.  "He's doing 
better than I expected."

"Kagura, how long does it take to get to your place and back?" Yuki 
asked.

Kagura tilted her head slightly to check her watch, careful not to jerk her 
hair out of Kisa's hands.  "I could have done it by now.  He should be 
back soon."

"Someone's on the road," Shigure said, stretching.  "I can hear the 
neighbor's dog barking."

"And that means someone's on the road?"  Arisa looked skeptical.

Saki turned her head and gazed at the outside wall.  "He's right.  Two 
people."

Kyo and Tohru wandered in during this last exchange, and Kyo shivered.  
"I don't want to know how you know that, Hanajima."  He dropped 
bonelessly to the floor and rolled his shoulders.  "Good timing, though.  
Supper's almost ready."

"Two people?"  Tohru's eyes lit up.  "Hatsuharu-san convinced Isuzu-san 
to come?"

Saki closed her eyes and cocked her head.  "It's him and a woman, so I 
assume so."

A moment later the outer door slid open, letting a waft of cold air into the 
house before it was quickly closed again.  Kisa finished the braid she was 
working on and secured it while rustling sounds came from the entryway, 
and then Haru called "We're back," as he came in.  He was followed by a 
girl whose face, even in the soft glow from the Christmas lights, had the 
distinctive Sohma stamp.  Haru rubbed his hands to warm them as he sat 
down.  "Mayuko-sensei, Uotani-san, Hanajima-san, this is Sohma Isuzu."  
The girl was radiating tension that flowed into the room with her, but she 
bowed politely as she stepped into the light, acknowledging Haru's 
introduction.  "Rin, these are Uotani Arisa and Hanajima Saki, and Shiraki 
Mayuko-sensei is--"  He frowned slightly, not sure of what to say.

"Mayuko is a friend of ours," Hatori filled in, glancing at Shigure and 
Ayame.

Rin nodded slightly and knelt without replying; when she lifted her head 
Mayuko got her first good look at her, and it was all she could do not to 
stare.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Arisa gazing at Rin with open 
admiration.  Most of the Sohmas Mayuko knew numbered among the most 
attractive people she'd ever met, but Rin was still startling.  Unlike most 
of her family, she had no unusual coloring to draw attention, but her face 
had an eerie beauty, framed by hair as long as Ayame's.  And unlike Kisa 
and Kagura, she was dressed to accent her looks.

Arisa seemed to realize that she was gaping; she shook herself and smiled.  
"Pleased to meet you."

Rin glanced at her and nodded again.  "And you."

"I'm glad you let Haru-chan talk you into coming," Kagura said 
cheerfully, and Rin shot her a sharp look.

"He blackmailed me, Kagura," she said tersely.

Kagura's smile didn't waver.  "Whatever works.  Haru-chan, can I have 
my key back?"

"Sure," Haru replied, fishing it out and sliding it across the table.  His 
hand brushed Rin's arm as he moved, and she jerked away as if she'd been 
burned.  Mayuko frowned, wondering why she had sat beside him if he 
made her so edgy, then dismissed the thought as none of her business.

Hiro stood up from where he was sitting beside Kisa and Kagura and 
walked around behind Rin.  An uncertain look flickered across his face, 
and then he put his arms lightly around her, resting his chin on the top of 
her head.  She tensed visibly.  "I'm glad you came, too," he said.

"Even though he lost money on you," Shigure added brightly.

Rin stared at him.  "What?"

Shigure ran a hand through his hair.  "He bet that you were more stubborn 
than Ha-kun."

Hiro glared at him.  "I just _said_ she was.  I didn't bet.  I told you that I 
didn't have any money, and even if I did, what kind of respectable adult 
takes money from kids, anyway?  I--"  He stopped in mid-tirade and 
looked down at Rin, who was laughing quietly.

"Behave, Hiro," she said, craning her head around to look at him.  "Or 
Gure-nii will get you back later."

He let go of her and sat beside her instead, giving her a wary look.  "Are 
you in a good mood now?"

Rin shrugged.  "Why?"

"Because Kisa will probably want to braid your hair after supper, and she 
won't want to ask you herself," he replied.

Rin glanced over at Kisa and brought her hand up to touch her hair, 
coiling a segment of it around her finger.  "Braid my . . ?"  Kisa gave her a 
hopeful look, and Rin sighed.  "All right.  If you want to."

********

Supper was an energetic affair.  Shigure's living room wasn't meant to 
hold so many people, so Kyo and Tohru produced large bowls full of fried 
chicken pieces and rice and handed out chopsticks and rice bowls.  While 
they were relaying things from the kitchen, everyone else circled the table.  
It was close quarters, and it wasn't until everyone had found a place to sit 
that Mayuko noticed that the Sohmas had shuffled themselves so that she, 
Saki, and Arisa were seated together and flanked by the Sohma girls.  The 
men and boys sat across from them.  She wondered if their family had 
some sort of segregation tradition; when Tohru and Kyo finished bringing 
dishes in and sat down, the girl came and found a place between Arisa and 
Kisa, even though it meant wending her way carefully through the tangle 
of people.

There was no tidy way to eat fried chicken, although everyone made a 
valiant effort.  By the time they had emptied the bowls of food, there was 
a lot of teasing and laughter going around.  Mayuko wasn't surprised 
when a deck of cards made an appearance--her students had been using 
cards to entertain themselves for as long as they'd been in her class.  
Kagura helped Tohru and Kyo clear the table, and the cards were being 
shuffled before anyone had settled on a game.

A round of 'Go Fish' was started while the younger people thought about 
what to play next.  Kisa slipped around the table, holding the box of 
decorations in her hands, and perched beside Rin and Hiro.  She 
murmured something, and Rin glanced at her, eyes softening as she took 
in the younger girl's earnest hopefulness.  She nodded, and Kisa smiled, 
her face lighting up.

Rin idly followed the game while Kisa carefully combed her hair out and 
started to braid.  Yuki watched them while Kisa worked.  The tiger didn't 
weave any ribbons into Rin's hair, but she was working the top layers into 
intricate patterns while leaving the bottom part loose.  Momiji was in the 
process of beating Arisa and Kyo at 'Fish' when Kisa lifted a cord of 
small bells out of the box, their soft chiming catching the attention of the 
people near them.  Rin turned slightly in surprise.  "May I put them in?" 
Kisa asked.  Rin blinked at her, her faintly puzzled expression making 
Yuki wonder if she ever gave thought anymore to her nickname's origin.  
He reached over and touched the bells, pointedly making them ring again, 
and after a moment Rin nodded.  Kisa gathered the long braids she had 
made and twined them and the bells together around the crown of Rin's 
head, securing them with a satisfied expression as the game ended with 
Momiji looking pleased about his win.

"What's next?" Arisa asked, her eyes sparkling as she glanced around the 
table.  "Who's in?  We could use more cards if lots of people want to play 
. . . "

"I'll play," Hiro said in a deceptively mild voice.

"Don't play anything that needs strategy against Hiro," Haru advised, 
watching as Arisa dug out a second deck and began shuffling the two 
together.  "He's got the best poker face in the family."  Saki gave Hiro a 
speculative look.

"I'm not part of your family," she pointed out.  "That could be fun."

"A challenge?" Hiro asked.

"Mmm," Saki murmured, her face stilling into an expressionless mask.  
Hiro smiled.

"More bets?" Shigure asked the room at large.  "Hiro, if I bet on you and 
you win, I'll forget that you lost the last one."

"I'm telling you, I didn't bet!"

Rin stood up while they were distracting the room at large, and went out 
into the hallway.  She was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed 
when Hatori came out and found her.  "Isuzu, are you feeling all right?"  
She shrugged without opening her eyes.

"I'm fine."  Hatori made a dubious sound, and she frowned at him.  
"There isn't anything you can do about it, so stop trying to doctor me, 
Hatori-nii," she said.

"I'm not very good at that," he replied.  "But if you want to sit down 
quietly for a while, I'd suggest the kitchen.  I can tell the others you're 
guarding the Christmas cakes from Momiji."

She opened her eyes and managed a small smile.  "Ok, I'll do that."  Her 
cooperativeness caught Hatori off-guard, and she went down the hall into 
the kitchen before he could say anything else.  He sighed and went back 
into the living room, where the volume was rising exponentially as Arisa 
dealt out some hands of cards.  Haru came and crouched beside him as 
soon as he sat down.

"Is Rin ok?  She didn't eat much."

"She's just getting away from the noise for a while," Hatori replied, 
closing his hand on Haru's wrist when the ox straightened up.  "Let her be, 
Hatsuharu.  You know she's not used to this kind of thing.  She'll come 
back when she's ready."  He let go, and Haru stayed put, his eyes 
wandering to the door.  "Now, do you think I should be backing Hiro or 
Honda-kun's friend?"

Haru shot him a look and grudgingly let himself be distracted.  "Hmm.  
Good question."  He rubbed the tattoo on his arm while he considered it.  
"I'd go with Hanajima-san.  I don't think I've ever seen her lose a card 
game."  He laughed quietly.  "See, Yuki and Kyo aren't playing against 
her.  They do it at school for fun, but I'll be surprised if either of them will 
when there're plenty of people for her to beat."

"Kyo plays games he knows he'll lose?" Hatori asked, surprised.

Haru nodded.  "Sure, as long as it's not Yuki beating him."  He shrugged, 
smiling.  "He's growing up too, Tori-nii."

"All of you are," Hatori agreed, watching Hiro laying out a few cards.  
"Some of you are doing it too fast."

Haru looked over at Kisa, who was sitting close to Hiro and gazing at his 
remaining cards with fierce concentration.  "There wasn't any reason not 
to.  Being kids didn't protect us from anything."  His calm underscored the 
harsh memories his words reminded Hatori of more strongly than any 
bitterness could have.

The doctor looked slowly around the room, at his laughing family, and 
remembered more than he wanted to: the lost look on Momiji's face when 
he thought no one was watching; Kisa gazing silently up at him while he 
treated her injuries; Yuki's inconsolable crying; Rin's broken body on the 
ground, and the horror he'd felt when he began examining her and realized 
she was still conscious.  He realized after a moment that Haru was 
watching him as he looked at the others, and turned to face him.

Haru shook his head slightly.  "I didn't mean to make you feel guilty," he 
said.  "We all know you've done your best for us."  He too glanced at the 
others, at the faces lit by the soft Christmas lights, and the good-natured 
arguing as they watched Saki and Hiro trying to outmaneuver each other.  
Arisa was helping Shigure write down bets, and Mayuko was watching the 
proceedings with a bemused smile.  "We're all right, Tori-nii.  
Honest."  He stood up slowly.  "But I _am_ gonna check on Rin."  This 
time Hatori didn't stop him, and he slipped out of the room unnoticed.

********

Haru found Rin curled up in a chair by the doorway that led to the laundry 
room, resting her head on her arms.  He came in quietly, but she heard him 
and glanced up.  Her face was too pale, and he wondered again if she was 
sick.  "Hey," he said.  "Are you ok?"

She almost smiled.  "You don't let up, do you?"  She straightened up, and 
he watched as she smoothed the tiredness off her face, leaving a calm 
mask.

"No," he said, glad that anger wasn't replacing the moment of weakness 
she had accidentally let him see.  He came and leaned against the 
doorframe, just close enough to hear the soft sound of her breathing.  She 
looked up at him warily, and then something that might have been 
amusement flicked across her face.  "Hmm?"  He glanced up and blinked 
at the small plant fastened over the doorway.  "What's that?"

She stood up without coming any closer to him and peered at it.  It was a 
sprig of leaves with small berries.  "I'm guessing it's mistletoe," she said 
after a moment.  "People put it in doorways at Christmas, and--"  She fell 
silent abruptly, looking away.

Haru frowned, trying to remember why it sounded familiar.  Western 
traditions tended to get a bit jumbled together for him, especially for 
holidays he didn't usually celebrate.  And then it fell into place.  He 
glanced at her, feeling suddenly awkward as he realized she was being 
more careful than usual not to look at him.  "Should I stand somewhere 
else?" he asked quietly.

He thought he heard Rin's breath catch, and then she squared her 
shoulders and shot him a challenging look.  The bells Kisa had braided 
into her hair rang softly as her head moved.  "It's tradition, right?"

"That's what I hear," Haru agreed, looking back up at the insignificant 
plant.  It was pretty enough, he supposed.

Her eyes had gone clear and cool.  "I can stop if you can."  Faint chiming 
sounds punctuated the toss of her head, barely audible over the sound of 
conversation leaking in from the living room.

"I can," he said quietly, and they stood looking at each other until he 
carefully set his hands on either side of her face and bent down to touch 
her lips lightly with his.  It was the most fragile kiss he could imagine.  He 
took one hand away and traced it down the line of her arm, catching her 
hand and holding it for a moment.  He expected her to pull away.  Instead 
her mouth opened slightly under his, with a quiet whimper as if she was in 
pain, and he found himself kissing her in earnest as she came alive under 
his touch.  Her body shuddered close against his, and he slid his arms 
around her waist to hold her there.  He lifted his head, feeling her heart 
beating against his chest; his own pulse hammered loudly in his ears, but 
his voice was almost steady.  "I thought it was obvious that I meant 'I can 
stop if you don't respond'," he managed.

Rin's hands were on his shoulders, opening and closing fitfully.  Her cold 
façade had cracked open, and something much harder to interpret lay 
exposed.  "I'm sorry."  Her hair tickled the backs of his hands as she 
trembled, not pulling back.

Haru kissed her again, running his fingers up along her spine and his 
mouth down her throat, waiting for her to resist.  He remembered the feel 
of her hand cracking across his face, ending their last embrace.  It had 
been the only instance of violence between them, and the flash of horror in 
her eyes before she fled was the clearest part of the memory.  Now, 
though, she was pressing into him instead of recoiling, and she was as 
irresistible as the need to breathe.  He made himself focus on her voice, 
ragged in his ear, instead of on the way her body felt against his.  "Damn 
it," she was whispering over and over, almost sobbing.  "Damn it, damn it 
. . . "  Her fingers ran along his sides, stroking instead of pushing.  "Haru, 
please . . . " she choked out, and he heard the plea for what it was.  *Please 
stop me.*  He made himself inhale slowly and stand still, forcing himself 
back under control.

Several minutes trickled by before he gripped Rin's shoulders and stepped 
back, turning her around so that her back was to him.  She offered no 
resistance, but the exhausted loneliness in her eyes as she moved cut him 
to the heart.  He rested one hand on the top of her head and pushed her 
hair aside with the other, making the bells chime as he bared her back.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice so fragile that he almost drew 
her into his arms again.  Instead he stared down at the scar gouged into her 
shoulder blade, imprinting its image into his memory.  It was deep and 
jagged, but had been expertly stitched to minimize the disfigurement.  Rin 
shook under his scrutiny.

"Reminding myself that things are different," he whispered back, running 
one finger lightly along the line, feeling for himself how the muscles no 
longer lay quite properly against each other.  He wondered if the injury 
still hurt her; Hatori had mentioned once that she no longer had full 
mobility in that arm, although she covered it well.

She twisted under his hands, and he let go.  "That has nothing to do with 
anything," she hissed.

"No, I know," Haru said softly.  "You're tired of me.  It has nothing to do 
with Akito."  He regretted the words immediately; something in her face 
told him how close she was to shattering.  He touched her cheek gently 
and then stepped away to rummage in the cupboards.  Coming up with two 
glasses, he filled them with water and pressed one into her hand.  "You'll 
feel better," he said, and watched as she slowly lifted it to her mouth and 
drank.

Eventually she looked steadier, and glanced first at the green sprig and 
then at the door to the living room.  "I feel like sneaking out the back," she 
said frankly.  "I wonder what they're thinking."

Haru shook his head.  "Doesn't matter.  Nothing happened, right?"

Rin sighed and frowned a little.  "It must be nice to always be so calm."  
He stared back at her, and she sighed again and looked away.  "I know 
you're not.  I just get tired of listening to myself sometimes."  She 
hesitated, and then added, "I'm sorry, Haru."  There were more layers to 
the apology than he had the energy to sift through.

"I know," he said after a moment.  "It's ok."  He touched her shoulder--the 
undamaged one--lightly, not wanting to feel her flinch again.  "Are you 
ready to go back to the living room?"  Rin nodded, setting her empty glass 
on the counter, and walked back toward the hallway with him a few steps 
behind her.

********

In the living room, Kyo and Arisa had fallen into one of the heated 
arguments that often sprang up out of nowhere when they played cards 
together, and were on their feet growling at each other across the table.  
While Rin went to the other side of the room and sat beside Ayame, Haru 
dropped down beside Yuki and began to listen to the argument.  When 
Kyo gestured to make a point, Haru noticed the bandages on his left 
fingers.

"What happened to Kyo's hand?" he asked Yuki.

"Huh?"  Yuki was being as entertained as everyone else by the fight, and 
it took him a moment to realize what Haru meant.  "Oh, that.  He wasn't 
careful when he was putting the holly up, and he cut himself on it.  Honda-
san patched him up."

"What's 'holly'?" Haru asked.

"One of the Christmas plants.  It's got really sharp leaves."  Yuki 
shrugged.  "Shigure brought some back from the florist, and got Kyo to 
hang it up."

A vague suspicion began to form in Haru's mind.  "Where is it?" he asked.

"Over the laundry room door," Yuki replied.  "It's kind of pretty, but I 
don't think Kyo's too crazy about it."

"Holly," Haru said, starting to laugh.

Yuki gave him a strange look.  "Yeah.  Haru, what--"

Haru choked down the laughter and leaned close to the other boy to 
whisper, "Don't mention it to Rin."

"Um . . . sure."  Yuki shook his head.  "Sometimes I really don't 
understand you."

"Sometimes it's just as well," Haru replied as the room quieted down.  
Tohru had successfully gotten Arisa and Kyo to sit down and resume the 
game, which neither of them was actually winning.  As he watched, Hiro 
lay his last cards down on the table with a smirk.  "Were they just fighting 
for the sake of fighting?" he asked.

"I think so."

Yuki watched while Arisa began separating the two decks of cards.  "We 
should get two games going at once," she said, picking through them 
carefully.  "Who hasn't played?"  She scanned the room and a wicked 
smile crossed her face.  "Mayuko-sensei?  Um . . . Ayame-san?"  She 
stumbled over using his given name, but there was no point in addressing 
anyone as 'Sohma-san' in that room.

"But I don't know how to play cards well," Ayame said, his eyes gleaming 
with interest.  Arisa blushed when he looked at her.  "Tori-san, will you 
help me?"

"I will help," Saki said.  Ayame arched a brow at her.

"But of course."

"If Hatori-san helps you, Shigure-san will offer to help Mayuko-sensei to 
even the odds," Saki continued.  "And it would be better if Hatori-san 
helped her."

Everyone in the room who wasn't used to Saki stared at her, while her 
schoolmates stared at Hatori and Mayuko.  Arisa recovered quickly.  "All 
right.  Tohru, you in?  Kyon, if everyone's getting help, you work with 
her.  What about you, Prince?"

Yuki hesitated an instant, then shrugged.  "Sure.  Kisa, pair with me?"

Kisa jumped.  "Me?"

He smiled at her.  "You've been watching Hiro play, so I bet you know 
what you're doing."

Arisa grinned and handed the cards to Kyo so he could deal.  He shuffled 
them again quickly and dealt them out, with the ease of someone who had 
spent countless lunch hours playing.  The game, when it began, was a 
serious one.  Yuki played to win against Saki and Ayame--for the 
challenge of beating her, and to avoid the humiliation of his brother 
winning against him.  Kisa didn't contribute much, but whenever she 
touched a card he played it, and her instincts were sound.  They exchanged 
grins, but didn't work too hard against Kyo and Tohru, who were also 
playing to beat Saki.

They were focusing so hard on keeping their friend from winning, in fact, 
that it took them completely by surprise when the game ended and 
Mayuko and Hatori had beaten them all soundly.  The doctor's expression 
was only slightly smug, but Mayuko was openly self-satisfied.  She 
chuckled at the looks on their faces.  "You aren't the only ones who 
thought playing cards at school would be more fun than joining clubs," 
she said.  "Learning not to underestimate your teacher is a valuable 
lesson."

Yuki laughed.  "It's not the only thing I learned.  Now we know that my 
brother has the _worst_ poker face in the family."

"It's probably true," Ayame admitted cheerfully.  "My natural 
expressiveness shines through no matter how I try to repress it."  Saki shot 
him a look, and he beamed back at her.  Yuki wondered if Ayame made 
any more sense to her than he did to everyone else.

Kyo jumped to his feet and stretched, letting his body move through its 
impressive full range of motion.  "Ok, when the teacher kicks my ass at 
cards I say it's time for cake," he said.  "It'll take us the rest of the night to 
eat them all, so we should get started."  He offered Tohru a hand, and she 
let him pull her up.  "Ra--Yuki, help us carry a couple of them in?"

"We need to bring plates in, too," Tohru added, her eyes sparkling.  "But 
they're almost too pretty to cut."

Kyo tousled her hair lightly.  "Hey, Shigure said one of them was yours, 
so you'd better eat it."

"You don't have to actually cut it yourself," Yuki added as the three of 
them went out into the hallway.  "Just eat it."

"I really like Christmas cake," she admitted.

Kyo picked one of the boxes up carefully after peering into it.  "This one's 
not yours, so it can go out first."  Yuki checked a second one and lifted it 
while Tohru slid a stack of plates out of the cupboard.  "Let one of us get 
the knife, ok?"

"Ok."  They got the cakes to the table without incident, and Yuki went 
back for a knife.

"We should get Aya to cut them," Shigure said.  "He's good at that sort of 
thing."  The boys exchanged glances, and then Yuki shrugged and gave 
the knife to his brother.  Ayame eased the cakes out of their boxes and 
examined them carefully.  He peered down at them from several angles, 
and then went to work.  It was only a matter of moments before both cakes 
were divided into perfectly even slices which were being slid deftly onto 
plates.  Shigure nodded with approval and shot Yuki an amused look.  
"Aya definitely inherited all the dexterity that your parents had to pass 
on."  He looked at Saki and Arisa.  "Yuki, you must understand, is a sweet 
boy, but--"

"Shigure, shut up," the 'sweet boy' growled as he took the plates from his 
brother and began passing them around the room.  Ayame's slices were 
generous, and Kyo had to bring another pair of cakes before everyone in 
the room had a piece.  Then he made a third trip to retrieve Tohru's cake, 
setting it down carefully in front of her.  It was smaller than the other 
cakes, but the solid covering of strawberries made it look almost 
imposing.

"I think eight may have been a few too many," Hatori commented, 
stabbing a berry from his slice of cake and examining it.

Shigure shrugged, unconcerned.  "They all looked so good that I got a 
little carried away."

Hatori shook his head.  "I'd believe that if I didn't know you'd ordered 
them in advance."

"Details, details," Shigure replied, taking a bite of his cake and chewing it 
thoughtfully.  "The important thing is that they taste good, right?"

Hatori ate the strawberry and then some of the slice, and nodded.  "It 
tastes fine, yes."  He glanced around the table, and smiled when he caught 
Mayuko's eye.  "What do you think?" he asked her.

She started a little and then smiled back.  "I think it's fine.  Everything's 
been nice tonight."

"I worked hard," Shigure said lightly.

Mayuko laughed in spite of herself.  "I'm sure you did."

"He did," Momiji said from across the table.  He was sitting beside Tohru, 
who was happily eating her fill of strawberries and occasionally even 
eating some of the cake.  Momiji grinned at her and licked some icing off 
his fork.  "Es ist ein sehr nettes Feier, nicht wahr, Ha'ri?"

"Be polite, Momiji," Hatori murmured back.

"It's a very nice party," Momiji repeated himself, not at all chastened.

Mayuko looked at him in fascination.  "You're completely bilingual?  I 
hadn't realized."

Momiji laughed.  "I'm not completely fluent in either," he admitted.  "My 
mother's the only one who speaks German perfectly, and she doesn't use 
it with me anymore."  He shrugged.  "I use it with Papa sometimes."

"Which language do you think in?"

"It depends on what I'm thinking about."  Momiji looked thoughtful.  
"German works better for me in family situations.  Ha'ri understands it 
pretty well, but he won't speak it back to me."

"My accent is terrible, and you know it," Hatori retorted, not quite keeping 
a straight face.  "Eat your cake."

Momiji grinned.  "I need another piece, then."  He ate the last bite from 
his plate, carefully scraping up the stray icing with his fork.

"Well, there's plenty more," Yuki said from the other side of Tohru, 
shaking his head.  "_Three_ more cakes . . . " he added under his breath.

"I can help you with those," Momiji said cheerfully.

"I daresay you can," Hatori said.  He turned to Mayuko.  "This boy can eat 
more sweets than any ten other children."

"I have a high metabolism," Momiji said over his shoulder as Ayame gave 
him another slab of cake.

"So do the rest of us, but none of us bleed sugar if we're cut," Kagura 
called down the table, her eyes sparkling with amusement.  Momiji 
wrinkled his nose at her and licked icing off a strawberry.

For several minutes after that no one spoke, and the only sounds in the 
room were of cake being eaten.  Then Arisa set her plate down and 
stretched, looking at her watch.  "I can't stay much longer, Tohru," she 
said.  "I told Dad I wouldn't be out too late, and he'll think I'm off with 
some guy if I don't get home."

"Do you want me to walk with you, Arisa?" Saki asked.

"You don't have to, but if you're leaving anyway I'd like the company," 
Arisa said.

"So soon?" Shigure said mournfully.

Saki gave him one of her shadowed looks.  "It's getting late, and my little 
brother wants me to watch a movie with him tonight."

Mayuko watched as the two girls stood up and took their plates into the 
kitchen, returning to hug Tohru.  She felt vaguely uncomfortable at the 
thought of being the only unrelated person left at the 'family' party.  *I 
wonder if I should leave too; I could offer to make sure they get home 
safely . . . *  Then she noticed Saki looking at her over Tohru's shoulder.

"You should stay a while longer, Sensei," Saki said softly.

Hatori glanced up in surprise.  "Were you planning on leaving already--"  
He hesitated so slightly that she almost missed it.  "--Mayuko-san?" he 
asked.

"I--"  *I will _not_ blush while I'm in the same room as Sohma Shigure,* 
she told herself sternly.  Her face only warmed slightly.  "No, I suppose 
not."

The small smile that always made her heart beat faster curved his lips.  
"That's good.  You're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Ha-san, _I'm_ supposed to say that," Shigure complained.

"Were you going to say anything different?" Hatori asked.  The two men 
exchanged a quick look, and then Shigure shrugged and turned away.

"Good night, Saki-chan, Arisa-chan," he said as the girls waved from the 
doorway.  "Get home safely."

"We will," Arisa said lightly.

"Thank you for having us," Saki added.

Tohru walked them to the door, and came back looking quietly happy.  "It 
has been fun, hasn't it?" she asked no one in particular, settling down 
between Yuki and Kyo and casting a fond glance over the room.  Hiro and 
Kisa were curled up in a corner, dozing.  "Should I lay out some futons 
later?"

"I think I'll be leaving soon," Rin said quietly, twisting the end of a braid 
in her fingers so that the bells she was still wearing rang.  If she saw the 
quick glance that Kagura and Haru exchanged before they both gave her 
worried looks, she gave no sign of it.

"I'll go when you do," Kagura said.  Rin frowned a little.

"You don't have to, Kagura."

"I know."

"Fine," Rin muttered.  "Whatever."

********

Haru stretched out on the floor and closed his eyes while Kagura and Rin 
got ready to leave, not wanting to make Rin any more uncomfortable by 
watching her.  Despite his good intentions, though, he found himself 
peering at her through his lashes every couple of minutes.  She 
looked exhausted.  *I hope bringing her here was the right thing to do.*

After she had her coat on, Kagura came and stood over him.  "'Night, 
Haru-chan."

"Merry Christmas, Kagura-nee," he replied.  He watched while she 
quickly hugged Yuki and Kyo goodbye and waved to the others.  Rin 
nodded a polite but weary farewell to the room at large; just before they 
left, Haru sat up.  "Rin."  She glanced back warily at him.  "Merry 
Christmas," he said.

"You too," she said, not quite meeting his eyes.  He sighed inwardly as 
she and Kagura left, and lay back down.

********

Few enough people remained that it no longer seemed like a party, 
especially with Kisa and Hiro sleeping, but the atmosphere continued to be 
comfortable.  While Yuki cleared dishes into the kitchen, Tohru found a 
couple of blankets.  She spread one over the children and the other over 
Haru, whose eyes opened in surprise when its weight settled on him.  He 
gave her an oddly sheepish smile.  "Thanks, Honda-san."

"You're welcome."  She sat down beside him and leaned on the table.  
"It's good that Isuzu-san came."

Haru rolled onto his side and rested his head on one arm.  "You think so?"

Yuki came to sit with them, switching the kotatsu on as he settled.  "It's 
good for her to know that we want her around," he said.  They kept their 
voices low, not wanting to wake the children or disturb the adults' 
conversation.  The three men and Mayuko were sipping tea on the other 
side of the room, and had fallen into what seemed to be good-natured 
reminiscence.

Kyo and Momiji gravitated to the kotatsu as its warmth spread into the 
room, which was cooling now that it wasn't full of people.  Kyo shot the 
adults a puzzled look while automatically grabbing Momiji away from 
Tohru.  "Careful," he hissed quietly.  "It's not just us."

"I wasn't going to hug her," Momiji protested, squirming under the 
blanket with Haru.

Kyo looked skeptical.  "Sure.  Anyway, did you guys know that Sensei 
knew them?"

"I knew," Yuki said after a moment.  "I ran into her when I started high 
school, and when I told her my name she asked if I was related to them.  
But I didn't think they knew each other so well."

"Huh."  Kyo curled up with his legs under the kotatsu, relishing the heat.

"Don't burn yourself," Yuki said idly.

"_I'm_ not the clumsy one," Kyo muttered back, but neither of them was 
in the mood to start an all-out fight.

The five of them sat in contented silence, not really listening to the 
conversation on the other side of the room, as the kotatsu lulled them into 
drowsiness.  Haru was the first to actually fall asleep, surrendering to the 
heat and the comfort of having his family close instead of worrying 
uselessly about Rin.  When he stirred restlessly in his sleep, Yuki touched 
his shoulder lightly through the blanket.

"She'll be all right, Haru," he said quietly, and the other boy settled again.  
Yuki ignored Kyo's puzzled look and closed his eyes.

********

When Mayuko finally stood to leave, Hatori insisted on driving her home.  
"I'm dropping Ayame off too, and any of the children--"  They turned and 
looked at the other side of the room, and found that Tohru was the only 
one awake enough to look back at them.  "I guess they're sleeping here 
tonight."

Mayuko laughed.  "I guess so."

Tohru stood up too, careful not to jostle any of the boys, and came over.  
"Good night, Mayuko-sensei," she said, bowing deeply.  "Hatori-san, 
Ayame-san, good night.  Merry Christmas."  She and Shigure followed 
them into the hallway and waited while they put on their boots and coats.

"I'm glad you came, Mayu-chan," Shigure said lightly.  "Come again."

She gave him a sharp look and then smiled.  "Not on my own."

He pouted slightly.  "Ah, Mayu-ch--"

"Good night, Shigure," Hatori interrupted firmly.

"Merry Christmas, Gure-san," Ayame said happily.  "It was a lovely 
party."

"Wasn't it?"  Shigure beamed.  "Thank you, Aya.  I'll see you two at New 
Year's, then."

"Tomorrow," Hatori corrected him.  "I'll come collect the kids.  And I'll 
let their parents know where they are when I get back to the Main House."

"Thank you, Hatori-san," Tohru said.  "Get home safely."

********

When they were gone, Shigure touched Tohru's shoulder to keep her from 
going back into the living room.  "You may as well rest instead of 
cleaning this all up on your own, Tohru-kun," he said.  "You know they'd 
all rather help you in the morning instead of waking up to find you've 
done it all alone."

Tohru frowned a little but couldn't argue with his reasoning.  "All right," 
she said reluctantly.  Her eyes softened as she looked at her sleeping 
friends.  "Do you think Momiji-kun liked it?" she asked.

"He seemed to be having a good time," Shigure said.

"I'm glad."  She flashed a bright smile at him.  "Thank you, Shigure-san."

"You're welcome," he replied.  "Now, I'm going to go spend some time 
with my novel."

Tohru laughed.  "All right.  Merry Christmas."  While he headed down the 
hall to his study, she went back into the living room and settled herself 
under the kotatsu with the boys, pausing only to tuck the blanket closer 
around Kisa and Hiro, who hadn't stirred in hours.  She touched Momiji's 
hair lightly.  "Merry Christmas, Momiji-kun," she whispered, before 
folding her arms and resting her head on them.  The soft sound of 
breathing followed her into sleep.



fin.

********

Fruits Basket is the creation of Takaya Natsuki, and is licensed in North
America by FUNimation (anime) and Tokyopop (manga).  Used without permission or
the intention of making a profit.  Please support the original work!

"A Moment of Stillness" © 2003 by Ysabet MacFarlane (ba087@chebucto.ns.ca).
Originally released as "untitled Christmas Furuba fanfic".  ^^

Comments and criticism welcomed at the above address.

This story may be reproduced and archived so long as the original text is
preserved and the author's name and contact information remain attached. 
Notifying the author of any such use is an appreciated courtesy.  NO CHANGES OF
ANY KIND ARE PERMITTED.