In the relative shelter of the awning over the phone, she dialed the number slowly, not quite used to using over seas telephones. Grateful for every Japanese language lesson her mother had dragged her to, she waited for some one to pick up on the other end.
"Moshi moshi! Sohma residence!" a bright voice said with enthusiasm.
"May I speak to Sohma Hatori, please? It's very important," Samantha asked, her voice sounding weary even to her own ears.
"Sure! Hold on please?" There was a soft thud as the phone was placed on the table. "Ha'ri! The phone is for you!"
A few seconds later, a deep voice came over the line. "This is Hatori."
"Sohma-san, I know this is going to sound crazy, but do you remember a woman named Elizabeth Hart?"
"We went to medical school together. Why? Who is this?"
"My name is Samantha Hart, Elizabeth's daughter. She said..." Samantha took a fortifying breath. "She said that you could help me. That you knew what it was like to be...cursed."
When the black luxury sedan pulled up in front of the bus station, Samantha was a little surprised. She knew, from what her mom had told her, that Hatori had a small, private practice. She didn't realize that he was this well off.
The passenger side window rolled down with an electronic whine. "Miss Hart?"
"Hai...Sohma-san?"
He was an incredibly handsome man. His rich, dark hair shielded one of his golden brown eyes from view. For a brief moment, she was reminded of her cousin Jason...which was appropriate considering the circumstances.
"Is that your only luggage?" Hatori asked.
Samantha glanced down at the faded green suitcase that contained all her worldly possessions. "Hai..."
"Don't just stand in the rain. Get in."
As they drove out of the city, Hatori said very little. Samantha kept her eyes on the horizon ahead of her, uncomfortable in the silence. She knew he must have a million questions. She did. And she knew he had the answers, but there was something about him that kept her quiet. She figured he would ask in his own time.
"How is your mother?" Hatori asked suddenly.
Samantha jumped a little, startled. "She...she's fine. The hospital keeps her busy, but she loves it."
Hatori chucked softly. "She was a very talented surgeon. I'm glad to hear she's enjoying herself." He paused. "Miss Hart, may I ask you a question?"
"Y...yes?"
"What do you know about my family? Has your mother told you everything?"
"She said that your family and my family share a curse. She told me that if I ever wanted answers, I was supposed to write to you and ask you. I decided to come ask you in person instead."
Hatori nodded. "I'm taking you to my cousin Shigure's house. He has plenty room to spare and it's definitely safer for you there."
"Safer? Safer than what?" Samantha asked.
"It's safer than a hotel and less expensive. I don't mean to sound rude, but it doesn't seem like you have much. You can get a good meal and a good night's sleep and we can talk in the morning."
Samantha shook her head. "I don't want to bother anybody..."
"Don't worry. Shigure's house has sort of been turned into a safe haven for lost souls," Hatori replied with a smile.
Not wanting to argue, Samantha returned her attention to the horizon. Safer, he says. He's driving me out into the middle of nowhere. How much safer can this be? she thought, pulling her jacket closer around her.
"Are you sure, Ha'ri? Bringing another girl to stay here?" Shigure asked, keeping one eye on the shivering girl standing next to his cousin.
"Would you rather I take her back to the honke and risk Akito finding her?" Hatori sighed. "It's only for one night. I'll pick her up in the morning. If it's too much trouble, Shigure, I can take her to a hotel in town...."
Shigure frowned. "No, no. It's no trouble. Welcome, Samantha-chan."
"Arigatou, Sohma-san," Samantha said, bowing politely.
Shigure chuckled. "Please, call me Shigure. I'll show you to your room...unless, Ha'ri, you want...?"
Hatori shook his head. "No, I need to get back." He turned and took one of Samantha's trembling hands. "I'll be back in the morning. Until then, get some sleep. And if this baka tries anything silly, you have my number."
Samantha's eyes widened. "What are you...?"
Hatori smiled softly. "Shigure is harmless, really, but his humor is a little over the top. Good night." He squeezed her hand.
"Thank you, Sohma-san, for everything," Samantha said quietly.
Hatori mumbled a quick good night to Shigure and left. She stared after him a moment before Shigure cleared his throat.
"Let's get you settled in before everyone starts coming home. It gets kind of crazy around here, especially with two boys."
Samantha followed him upstairs. He pointed out the upstairs bathroom, the boys' rooms, his room (with a sly wink), and finally, the room she would be staying in.
"I'm sorry about the cramped quarters," Shigure apologized. "If Hatori had told me I would be having company tonight, I could have made better arrangements. Tohru is a sweet girl, and she won't mind sharing, so don't worry about that. As soon as Kyou gets home, we'll have dinner. I'm sure there's time for you to have a bath if you want. You know where the bathroom is. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."
He slid the door shut and sighed. Oh god...when they see her...things are going to get very interesting around here.
Kyou tried to huddle further into his sweatshirt, seeking the scant warmth the drenched garment offered. The weatherman had said nothing about rain, so he had left this morning without an umbrella. Shishou had offered him a place to sleep so he wouldn't have to walk home in the rain, but Kyou refused, saying that Tohru had to work tonight and if he didn't get home to warm up dinner, the baka inu would probably starve until Tohru came home and made dinner.
He was momentarily blinded by the bright lights of a car coming toward him. There was only one car that would be coming away from Shigure's house. Kyou quickened his pace. If Hatori was visiting this late, chances are it was not a social call. Something must be wrong.
"What the hell was Hatori doing here!?" he demanded, barely inside the house. "Is Tohru-chan all right?"
Shigure greeted him with a disappointed frown. "Did it occur to you that maybe I was the one who was sick and Hatori was here to see about me?"
Kyou blushed slightly. "Well, I can see that you're okay. What about Tohru? Is she sick again?"
"Tohru's fine as far as I know. Hatori was bringing me another stray to take care of. She's upstairs bathing if my nose isn't lying to me."
"What the hell? Not another Sohma brat! Dammit, who's left? Rin? It's not her is it? That damn Hatsuharu will be here every day if she's here." Kyou lamented.
Shigure laughed. "Just go change out of those wet things. Then you can get dinner ready. You can ask your questions then."
Kyou went upstairs to his room, mumbling curses under his breath. His older cousin was acting weirder than usual and some how he knew things were about to get a lot more exciting.
The delightful aroma of dinner greeted Samantha as she came down the stairs. Her stomach rumbled quietly and she smiled. The meal on the plane had been several hours ago and very tasteless. She wanted whatever that smell was—and lots of it.
"Ah, Samantha-chan! I was just coming to check on you. Kyou almost has dinner ready. I hope you're hungry! Tohru-kun left us her beef stew," Shigure greeted her.
She smiled. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until I came down here. Tohru-san must be a very good cook."
Shigure nodded. "Your grasp of our language is remarkable," he said, leading the way to the dining room.
"You can thank my mother for that," Samantha replied. "She had me taking Japanese classes before I could even speak English properly. She said I should learn to speak my native tongue. My mom is a great surgeon, but a lousy teacher."
"So, your mother is Japanese?" Shigure asked.
"Half. I'm a quarter, but you can barely tell. Most people assume I have Native American in me or something."
Shigure nodded as he opened the sliding door leading to the dining room. Three bowls of stew sat steaming on the table accompanied by a plate of onigiri. Samantha smiled. Onigiri was one of her favorite foods; unless they had something frightening in the middle—like leeks or salmon roe or something.
"Shigure! Is she ready yet? The stew won't stay hot forever, you know?"
Shigure sighed. "The disembodied voice you hear belongs to Kyou. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's generally harmless."
Samantha laughed. "That's what Sohma-san said about you."
He hung his head. "Ha'ri is too cruel..." he pouted. Suddenly he brightened. "Sit, sit. You mustn't let Tohru's stew get cold. Kyou! Come meet our new house guest."
She sat to Shigure's left, facing the kitchen door. Sitting on the floor to eat wasn't an entirely alien concept for her; her mother had insisted on having a traditional meal at least once a month so she and her daughter didn't become entirely westernized.
"She's not a Sohma."
Samantha looked up in surprise. Standing in the doorway, his red eyes narrowed in suspicion was a boy about her own age wearing a blue apron over a black t-shirt and khaki cargo pants. Their eyes met for a brief second before she looked away, blushing. He's one too, she thought, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Kyou's a little slow sometimes. We try to overlook it for his sake," Shigure whispered with a mischievous smile.
Kyou's whole body tensed with rage. He clenched his fists as he ground out between gritted teeth, "Shigure...."
Shigure laughed gaily. "Kidding, kidding! Kyou, this is Samantha Hart. She's going to be staying with us tonight. She's a friend of Hatori's. Samantha-chan, this is Kyou Sohma, mine and Hatori's younger cousin."
Samantha bowed from her seat. "Pleased to meet you, Sohma-kun," she said politely.
The boy remained silent as he openly stared at her. Samantha fidgeted under his gaze. She wished he would say something, or move or blink or something. I guess he's a bit surprised. I'm certainly not what he expected...and I'm American. He can tell that just by my accent. I'm going to start blushing if he doesn't stop staring at me...
"So, Kyou, how was school?" Shigure asked, breaking up the tense silence.
Kyou blinked as if suddenly remembering Shigure was there. He glared at his cousin before taking his seat next to him. "Fine I guess. Not like you really care. Eat your damn stew before it gets cold."
Samantha smiled and said a quick blessing before taking a hearty bite of the stew. She rolled her eyes in joy. "This is wonderful! The best I've tasted! Tohru-san is really amazing!" she said warmly.
Shigure smiled in return. "She won't believe you if you tell her. Our Tohru is modest to a fault."
"I'll bet her onigiri are fantastic too!" she replied, reaching for one.
"She didn't make those," Kyou murmured. "I did. So they probably suck."
Samantha frowned and took a bite. It was stuffed with the traditional pickled plum; not her favorite, but still very tasty. "It's very good, Sohma-kun. Onigiri are my favorite."
"You're just saying that to be nice. And quit calling me 'Sohma-kun'; reminds me of that damn rat."
"Are you still in school?" Shigure asked without preamble.
Samantha nodded. "Well, sort of. I'm supposed to be a senior, but mom said I could finish school here. I don't know what grade I'll place in."
Shigure raised his left brow. "So you're here for more than just a visit then?"
"You could say that. I'm not really sure how long I'm going to be here. I'll finish school at least."
"Did you have a plan as to where you would live and pay for school?"
Samantha blushed. "Not really. I didn't think it all the way through. My mom said she would help out a little bit with tuition, but I had to find my own place to live."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. It's not everyday a beautiful American princess just lands on my front step!" Shigure apologized.
"No, no. It's all right." Suddenly she yawned. "I didn't think I was that tired."
"Jet lag," Shigure said with mock certainty. "Kyou, will you clean up the kitchen? I'm going to help Samantha-chan make a bed in Tohru's room."
"Why do I gotta clean? I cooked, didn't I? You clean up the damn mess!" Kyou snapped.
"I suppose I could. But that means you have to help Samantha-chan get settled in. Forgive me for saying so, but I don't think that's something you're interested in."
Kyou blushed a brilliant scarlet before he gathered up the dishes, and went back into the kitchen mumbling something about "baka hentai inus and their inability to function in normal society."
"Don't worry about him," Shigure said, standing. "Kyou has a hard time expressing his emotions. He's gotten a little better...he didn't smash the table or kick down the door. He's a hard time, that one." He brightened suddenly, something he did frequently. "But enough about him. I'll get you settled into Tohru's room. I was hoping you'd get to meet her before you went to bed, but que cera cera, I always say."
Samantha smiled. You couldn't help but smile around Shigure Sohma. There was just something about him that lightened your mood, no matter what your troubles were. Taking his offered hand, she stood and followed him up the stairs. He pulled extra bedding out of a small hall closet, made up a quick pallet on Tohru's floor and bid her good night.
"Are you sure you don't mind sleeping on the floor? The couch is quite comfortable, now that I think about it. You could sleep there instead."
"I'm fine. You've put enough blankets down, I won't even notice. I promise."
"I'm just down the hall if you need anything. And Tohru should be here soon. Good night, Samantha-chan."
"Good night, Shigure-san, and thank you very much."
She was asleep before he had completely shut the door.