My, My, Imai! Vol. I

Imai:
Monday morning rolled along, and just as Imai sat up, she was greeted with Shigure's smirking face.


Shigure:
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty! It's time to get up and go!"

He had already packed Imai's bags and was simply waiting for Hatori to wake himself up.


Imai:
"What're you talking about..?"

She was still groggy and had yet to notice that Shigure was holding two suitcases. When she looked out of the window, she also noted that the sun hadn't even risen yet and her brother was gone.

Her hair was tousled and sticking up in several places, and her eyes were slightly baggy from having stayed up so late with Hatori the previous evening. She let out a mighty yawn and stretched, scratching a bit at her shoulder before pulling her robe back up over it.

Before she even realized it, Shigure was pulling her up and off of her futon, handing over her towel and bath basket.


Shigure:
"Go clean up for the morning, Sunshine! Meet me in Hatori's office when you're done!


Imai:
Still groggy and confused, she complied, heading off to the baths in order to get ready. When she was done, she felt more awake, but was still yawning. When she finally came into Hatori's office, she was still blinking away the last bits of sleep.

"What's this all about, already? It's not even... *Yaaaawn*... dawn yet. Shigure, you'd better have a good reason for dragging me out of bed, like this..."


Shigure:
"You'd better ask Hatori about that, I think!"


Hatori:
"What did I do now?"

Hatori had bathed the night before going to bed, thus he was up, dressed, and ready to go. He had one suit case in hand, though it wasn't hard to tell that he was in need of a serious coffee fix. Hatori stayed up until dawn, not woke up at it.

Stopping at the door, he dropped his bag down and sent a morning glare in Shigure's direction, dark hair a bit on the tousled side even with being combed from sleeping on it after washing. He had been expecting java right then and there.


Shigure:
"Yes, yes! We can get your coffee on the way! There's a perfect little shop just down the road, and it's on the way."


Imai:
"On the way to where? What's going on? If you two are going somewhere, why did you wake ME up before I WANTED to wake up?"


Shigure:
"Oh! Yes... Hatori, you DID remember to pack a bathing suit, right? We'll be going swimming!"


Imai:
As usual, in the mornings, Imai was quite the grump. She huffed an exasperated sigh, wishing that she knew just what Shigure was talking about... And WHY they had a bunch of suitcases.

Imai stomped hard on Shigure's foot, not liking the fact that he was all but ignoring her questions.


Shigure:
"Ow, ow! Okay, okay!"

He hopped on one foot for a moment, placing a dramatically hurt look on his face.

"Hatori and I are taking you out for a vacation..."


Imai:
"Oh, God..."

Imai rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, turning her back on her cousin to leave the room.

"... That's a sick joke, Shigure. You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel with your jokes this year.."


Shigure:
"No, no! I'm serious! Come back!"

Shigure went after her, and put his hands on her shoulders, spinning her around. He noted that she didn't look pleased at what she thought was a joke.

"No, seriously. Haa-san and I are taking you to the lake house for your birthday. He thought it'd be nice if you got out of the house, so I talked your brother into it."


Imai:
Now Imai's deathglare was put on Hatori. Was he in on this sick joke, too? What had she done to possibly deserve such treatment?! She wheeled around again, not believing a word of it.


Shigure:
Shigure sighed.. She STILL didn't believe him?!

"Alright, then! Let me pick up the final bit of luggage..."

His voice strained as he picked up Imai and hefted her over his shoulder like a sack of rice before moving to take the suitcases.

"You ready to go, Ha'ri?"


Hatori:
"...Would I be up at this hour for nothing?"

Hatori's little bag had wheels on it, and he made it look like torture the whole way he toted it along after Shigure with Imai hefted like one of the other articles of luggage.

It was chilly outside, as it always was in the spring, but there was promise of it warming up, as the weather had been impressive the season so far. However, Hatori didn't waste any time of getting the Sohma's family car's heater started when it was loaded and they were ready to go. It was as if he weren't completely awake-- and he wasn't. Hatori didn't shift into gear to pull out until he was focused a little bit more.

"We're getting coffee," and that was a demand.


Imai:
For the first few moments that she was so ungracefully carried, she pounded on Shigure's back, spouting a good few words that she probably wouldn't have said normally. But she eventually gave up, laying across his shoulder and looking quite undignified.

"If this is all an elaborate joke... You're both going to get it."

It was only half-hearted, at the very least, when directed toward Hatori. She HIGHLY doubted he would go through so much trouble just to play a joke on her... Besides, she didn't think he was one to play jokes in the first place, much less one so cruel and overly fabricated as this one, even if it WAS Shigure's idea.

But she steadily began to look more confused as she was carried out of the compound. She couldn't see where they were going, only where they had been. And when she saw that they had passed through the gardens, her real confusion set in.

Turning her head and using Shigure's back as a support mechanism, she looked ahead at where they were heading. Right to the front gates... And when she saw them open, her hands visably clenched against her elder cousin's robe. She could see the car parked out front, and when she was finally set down on her feet, she looked at it as though she'd never seen one before.

She knew what it was, and she'd seen a car before... But never this close. She was finally startled out of her daze when Shigure helped her into the front seat of the car.


Shigure:
He could see that she was slowly becoming more confused and more frightened as he helped her into the front seat, fastening the seatbelt for her.

"Don't worry about a thing, Imai. The car won't eat you and Hatori's the best driver I know."

**... The ONLY driver I know...**

Shigure slipped into the backseat and put on his seatbelt. He knew this would be a very strange and new experience for her... He hoped she didn't puke in the car.


Hatori:
The engine started with a low roar as they all did on bigger model cars. Black inside and out, they were riding in style. Hatori particularly liked it, which was a good thing considering how he was pretty much the only one that drove it anywhere.

Letting it warm up a minute, he took that opportunity to give a small smile in Imai's direction. Poor thing looked a little frazzled, but he hoped that she could trust him through the drive that was ahead of them. "Are you hungry, Imai-kun?" he asked, seeming to forget that Shigure was in the back seat with them, too.

That's what he got for not bringing coffee as a peace offering right from the start.


Shigure:
Oh, now wasn't that the sweetest sight he'd ever seen? From his vantage point in the backseat, Shigure could clearly see the smile on Hatori's face... And he wasn't deaf. The part of him that wanted them to get together was already day-dreaming of how adorable it would be if they actually got to go on a date together.

He had to keep from squirming delightfully in his seat.


Imai:
Imai looked to Hatori, and indeed she was quite frazzled. She looked as though about to bolt, but this time it wasn't because of Hatori.

In all actuality, she wondered if it had really been Hatori's idea. Her heart soared when she thought about it, and she'd almost forgotten that Hatori had asked her a question. She stammered her answer..

"Yes... A.. A little... But... We'd have to go back inside, Hatori... All the food is in there, isn't it..?"


Shigure:
Oh, God, he thought he'd die right there. He'd never seen anything so goddamn cute in his entire life! Here he was, completely privvy to one of the cutest moments in history. He wished he had a video camera so he could share it with Aya!

He had to break in... He hated to ruin the moment, but he had to.

"There are places that we can go to where you don't even have to leave the car to get food... And coffee. Don't worry... Ha'ri and I have everything handled."


Imai:
She, too, like Hatori, had seemed to completely forget that Shigure was in the car.

Now she just felt stupid.

"Oh.."


Hatori:
Hatori wanted to marry the person who thought of drive through coffee shops, only not really. But that didn't mean he no longer thought that it was one of man kind's greater developments. Especially when they were open at ungodly hours such as these.

The streets were pretty empty still, dull with the light hidden behind the overcast of morning's clouds. Street lamps were on and only the defroster kept the windows of the Sohma car from fogging over.

The first thing Hatori did before they reached the ordering box was reach towards the back seat to make a hand motion for Shigure's wallet. The dog hadn't been forgotten entirely after all, and this breakfast was going to be on him.

"Breakfast croissants for all?" he asked idly, face placid as always.


Imai:
As the drive started, Imai kept her hands in her lap the entire time, and with how she was clutching her robe, she looked like the might very well just rip the fabric! Her eyes were everywhere as they drove the nearly-empty roads, and her eyes couldn't stay glued to one single thing as they drove by.

She seemed fascinated by the street lights, the cars that drove by, how the traffic lights changed color, how tall the buildings were as they passed, how the roads intersected, how the people jogging on the side of the road in the early morning hours whipped by as they passed. She had never seen the outside world, and while one might have thought she'd be overwhelmed by it, she was only overwhelmed by the wealth of visuals she was greeted with.

When the car stopped at the drive-thru, Imai turned to look to Hatori as he took Shigure's wallet. What was Shigure moaning about? And what was a breakfast croissant? She surmised that it was SOME sort of breakfast food aside from what she'd always known... And if Shigure and Hatori could eat it, she probably could, too; she knew Hatori wouldn't give her something that she wouldn't be able to eat.

"... What's that for..?"

She'd been quiet up until that point, but she was so full of questions already that she could barely hold them in. She prayed that the answer wouldn't be an obvious one.


Hatori:
"That," said Hatori as he took one glance over the menu after taking the wallet in question, pulling up to the speaker where the order would be placed, "is the source to our trip's funding."

In other words, Shigure was going to pay for this mini family escapade that was his wild idea in the first place. Well, for at least plotting and making him wait for a much needed cup of coffee. Which was the first thing that was ordered when the worker answered on the other ended followed by a container of milk and orange juice, along with three breakfast sandwiches.

Paper bills were fished out of the folded, leather depths before the accessory was tossed back to its rightful owner. "Sankyuu, Shii-chan." A small smile was given to Imai, and then he pulled up to stop at the next window.


Shigure:
"Oh, Ha'ri... Really, you should've given her a better answer than that!"

Shigure piped up after checking his wallet, making sure he still had enough for cigarettes once he got home... When he saw he had more than plenty, he held it up.

"This is a wallet... It holds a lot of important things, and every man has one!"


Imai:
"What sort of important things?"


Shigure:
"Money, sources of identification, pictures, business cards... Anything that'll fit in there! Here! Wanna see?"

He handed Imai the wallet before helping Hatori with the drinks and food. Boy, he was STARVING!


Imai:
Imai curiously opened the leather contraption, looking inside at the money with equal curiousity.

"So... This paper stuff is how you guys pay for things like cigarettes and food, right?"


Shigure:
"Absolutely correct, My Dear!"


Imai:
She looked at Shigure's I.D., reading what was there...

"... Wow... You only weigh that much, Gure-ni-san..? I would've thought you'd weigh a little more with how much you eat.."


Shigure:
"... ... ..."


Imai:
"Who's this...?"

She pointed to a picture of Tohru, Kyou, and Yuki.


Shigure:
"Why, that's another beautiful flower just like yourself!"

He was purposely ignoring the weight question... Okay... So he'd gained a little weight since he'd last gotten his I.D. made... So what?

"She's not a part of the Sohma family... But I'm sure you've heard about her! And, of course, you know Yuki and Kyou. Tohru-kun's the most wonderful and beautiful girl I've ever known... Besides you, of course!"


Imai:
"Hmm..."

Imai nodded a bit, recognizing Yuki and Kyou immediately... And she'd heard about a young girl from the 'outside' who had somehow made her way into the life of the Sohma family... But she'd never met her. She handed the wallet back to Shigure once she was given her food and drink.

She looked the sandwich over, having never seen anything like it before. But after taking a bite of it, she found she liked it... A lot better than some of the things she'd had at home!


Shigure:
"Ah! You're first introduction to fast food! I see you like it!"

Shigure offered Hatori a grin... This was going to be a very interesting trip.

He could see that they still had plenty of time to reach the lakehouse before sunrise... His plan was in full swing, now, and all he had to do was sit back, set them up... And watch the pair in the front seat knock 'em down!


Hatori:
Hatori left his sandwich in the bag, only sipping at his coffee from time to time while driving along the familiar road. It had been a long while since he had been to the lake house, but he still remembered well. Being the only one around that was able to drive often put him in these sorts of situations. He didn't particularly mind this time. Half the company wasn't obnoxious.

Once away from town, the roads were more curvy and littered with forest grounds. The sky was turning more blue the higher the sun rose, and there were nothing but clear weather the higher they drove up the mountainous regions of the area towards the house with the lake in the back. It was just how Hatori remembered it, too.

Tucked away in a secluded area, surrounded by Nature's most majestic beauty. . . The promise of peace echoed in the quiet that settled all around, and the doctor was slowly starting to be persuaded into believing that, perhaps, this trip would prove to be beneficial for him as well. The gardens at the main house could only do so much; not able to compare to this expanse of wonder.

Before long, Hatori was parking the car at the base of the dirt walk that lead up to where they were staying, front tires up gently against a laid out log that had been put there just for that reason. The engine cut off when the keys were turned, and he waited for the doors to be opened so he could lock them up.


Shigure:
Shigure was still quelling the urge to hop up and down in his seat... Oh! This was going to be so exciting! He could just picture how WONDERFUL this little vacation was going to be for the dragon and the rooster!

But before the car had even pulled close to the house, Shigure piped up from the backseat.

"We're almost there, Imai-chan... Now... What I want you to do is close your eyes and keep them closed until Haa-san and I say you can open them. It'll be a big surprise!"

Okay, so they hadn't arrived EXACTLY at dawn like he had hoped... But he still had so many things up his sleeve... And his idea could still work out as planned.


Imai:
It was too bad that Shigure wanted her to close her eyes... For after so long looking at trees during the mountainous trek, Imai had taken to offering Hatori askance glances.

She found herself blushing at the fact that Hatori looked even more handsome in glasses, especially with that typically stern look on his face.

But she closed her eyes as instructed, and promised to keep them closed until Shigure and Hatori told her otherwise.


Shigure:
Once the car was parked, Shigure was the first to hop out of the car. Opening Imai's door, he carefully unbuckled the young woman and helped her out.

"Keep them closed..."

Quietly, Shigure motioned for Hatori to come over... If he had a tail, it would be wagging by how eager his face looked. And once the doctor was close enough, Shigure reached and tugged him closer, all but dragging him as he led Imai to the lake.

It wasn't as perfect as he'd hoped it would be, but it would have to do.

"You know..."

Shigure piped up after he'd stopped with the pair next to the water.

"... It's a bit of surprise that Hatori was so generous as to drive us all the way out here... But, I think that this might be an even bigger surprise for you. You can open your eyes, now..."


Imai:
Slowly, she peeked open one eye, but when she saw the lake in all its glittering splendor, she couldn't help but open them both as wide as they could go. She thought she was looking at a sea of silver sequins! The way that the sun hung over the water in just the right way... She'd never seen water do that before!

"Oh...! Gure-ni-san! It's wonderful!"

She turned around, the surprise and glee on her face was at an extent that she had never showed before, and she fairly jumped into the dogs arm with the hug she offered.

"It's beautiful!"


Shigure:
Shigure only laughed, swinging his little cousin around for a moment before setting her back down on her feet, grinning wildly.

"Well, thank you, Imai-chan... But... I think all the credit should go to Haa-san over there... He was the one who thought of it, you know... What with your birthday tomorrow and everything."

Hook, line, and sinker. He knew just what was coming next.


Imai:
Imai looked to Hatori... Oh! He'd been so thoughtful! And here she thought that she would never see the outside world, and this had all been HIS idea!

She fairly jumped into his arms, too. Thank God all three were cursed...

"Hatori! Thank you so much! This is the best birthday present ever!"


Shigure:
One down, a million more tricks left up his sleeve. Yes, this was going to be a VERY interesting vacation.


Hatori:
Hatori allowed Shigure to tug him along for a few steps, but then freed his arms to remove his glasses as he followed on his own towards the bank of the lake. He still had yet to say anything, standing as calm as the sparkling waters before them while his cousins exchanged words.

Though, when Shigure proposed that this sort of escapade was all HIS idea, he almost staggered out of his stoic bubble before he was caught by Imai. With his winter eyes wide, Hatori shot a sort of look at Shigure as Imai hugged him. Even though he had expected this. . . There was still no real preparation. The doctor didn't know whether to hug back or continue to stand there like one of the trees around them. He finally managed to lift a hand to pat her back. ". . .You're welcome?"

His moderate confusion was easy to be interporated as embarrassment, however, for Hatori was quiet by nature and never made complete contact with anyone unintentionally on his part. Freely given hugs had his medical mind reeling.


Shigure:
Shigure's return look was an innocent wink. Oh, this was so much fun already, and they hadn't even unpacked!

"Well! Let's not just stand here gawking! Why don't we all go get unpacked and... Say... Take a swim?"


Imai:
Imai barely noticed the fact that Hatori had seemed awkward with the hug, and had barely noticed the soft pat on her back in return; she was just so excited about the entire thing. Slipping away from Hatori, Imai looked to Shigure as though confused.

She DID know what swimming was, didn't she?

"So early...? Really, Shigure... If we're all too exhausted, we'll drown..."


Shigure:
"Oh, no... I think everybody's quite awake, now."

He snickered to himself inwardly; a freely given hug by Imai would have woken a dead man up... He didn't think Hatori was any exception.

"You packed a bathing suit, right, Ha'ri?"

He always had back-up plans...


Hatori:
"I don't swim," said Hatori, stepping away and turning on a heel to make his way back to the car when Imai had released him. It was the only way to hide the shy expression that had come over his normally stoic face.

He had forgotten his sandwich in the car along with his coffee, already feeling his nerve going on the fritz as he reconsidered the possibility of benefiting from this trip now that it was apparent what the real motive behind it was. In all honesty, he should have been expecting something like this from the ever scheming Shigure, so it was his own fault he was caught off guard. He had only been caught up in the idea of giving Imai a small taste of the everyday freedom everyone else got to experience.

Jeeze, had he really gone that soft?


Shigure:
Shigure pulled Imai closer with an arm as though to display her... Despite the fact that HE was the one that was pouting, not her.

"Oh! You would deny this lovely girl the honor of swimming with you? Ugh! Look how DISAPPOINTED she is!"


Imai:
"It's... Not really that big of a deal, Gure-ni-san... If Hatori-san doesn't want to swim, he doesn't have to. Besides... HE was the one who brought us out here in the first place. If he wants to sit at a table and smoke the entire time, he's perfectly welcome to do so.."


Shigure:
"See, Ha'ri! You hear that? She's ALREADY trying to con you into swimming with us by putting a GUILT TRIP on you!"


Imai:
"... You know I didn't mean it like that..."

She was sounded a bit exasperated with Shigure... And had she known it had really been HIS idea to begin with, she might have known what Shigure was up to.

But that didn't mean that she wasn't getting suspicious of it.

**He makes it sound like this is Hatori's vacation, too... Like he's just there for the ride. Really, I guess he IS just here for the ride... But only because it'd be a little suspicious, I think, if it was just Hatori and me... But Shigure sure is putting us BOTH on the spot for SOMETHING.**

Wasn't this supposed to be HER vacation, anyway? Why was SHIGURE the one trying to get everyone to do something?

"I think... Before anything... We all should unpack."


Hatori:
"I don't swim," repeated Hatori, emphasizing his unwillingness to change his mind with the firm closing of the car's door after his food and coffee were retrieved. Relaxing by the lake was one thing, but actually being in. . . The doctor really had better things to do.

Shigure could take his scheming and stuff it where the sun didn't shine for all he cared. This weekend was going to be just what Imai was promised: a vacation. However, he couldn't help but gaze idly in Imai's direction, as if to make sure for himself that she wasn't disappointed with his reluctance to comply. She did have a good idea, however, and after he was certain that she really wasn't disappointed, he made his way 'round to the back of the car to unlock the trunk with his free hand.

The sooner they got inside, the sooner he could crash on one of the comfy couches and pray for a nap to come.


Imai:
She wasn't disappointed at all... But only because she really couldn't picture Hatori in a bathing suit. She could barely picture him in pajamas! Once she weaseled her way out of Shigure's grip, she pointed a finger at him to reprimand... She looked like a scolding mother.

"Shigure Sohma... You'd better behave yourself."


Shigure:
"But this is your vacation! You should enjoy yourself!"


Imai:
"And? That doesn't mean the both of you can't enjoy yourselves... If Hatori-san doesn't want to do something, don't con him into doing it."

She continued as she headed in Hatori's direction... To help him with the luggage, of course.

"He can be just as happy with a chair and a book as he would if he liked to swim."


Shigure:
"You're really spending too much time with him... He's rubbing off on you."

He pouted for a bit, but only earned another stern look from Imai before he finally stopped.

"Alright... Okay..!"

He tried to hide the smirk... He had never known Imai to stick up for anyone before. Really, he was a bit disappointed that Hatori wouldn't swim, but he still had back-up plans... So many back-up plans!