A/N: Hey! So this is my first fanfic; well, the first chapter of it, anyway. I just had this little plot bunny - heh...bunnies...bad pun...oh well! - hopping around my head about Momiji performing around in small places to become a violinist, and on the way he meets another musician (aka a sweet young lady) with her own inhibitions that throughout the story they build upon together. They'll tour together, growing their reputation, going through the awkwardness of a budding relationship. I just really felt that poor, handsome young Momiji didn't get the ending he so rightfully deserved at the end of the manga. His story ended with sadness and a small amount of hope. Hope for something that I hope to help him achieve with this fanfic. ^.^ So anyways, I hope you enjoy! Yes, this is a MomijixOC story, but you won't meet the OC until the third chapter or something, because I wanted to add some good old Sohma family humor to start this off. D Well, the first chapter (which is more of a prologue) doesn't have much humor, but there will most likely be a lot more in the next. And now I'm babbling. :P

As a final note, this story will be T-rated pretty solidly. And maybe M, solely for language because of some more disagreeable characters later on. But anyways, for now, enjoy!

Chapter One

With this invitation, Momiji Sohma

is cordially invited to attend the matrimonial uniting of this gorgeous couple:

Ayame Sohma and Mine Kuramae

on Saturday, May 26th

at the Sohma Lake House

The flamboyantly decorated invitation which perfectly reflected the personality of its sender included a photograph of the said couple in a very affectionate position, with both of their arms wrapped tightly around one another. Mine, the woman, with two dark braids and small-framed glasses was shown flushing a sweet pink as her silver-haired fiance kissed her on the cheek.

Momiji's soft brown gaze lingered on the captured display, carefully placing it on his desk with the saddest smile. He walked out of his room and into the kitchen, where his guardian Hatori sat with a cup of tea, seemingly lost in a pile of paperwork. Momiji noticed an invitation almost identical to his left at the edge of the table, going over to sit at that edge where there were fewer papers strewn about.

"Ha'ri, are you going to Ayame's wedding?" he asked, picking up Hatori's invitation. He noticed a side-note at its bottom-right corner scrawled 'We do hope to see you there, Tori-san!'; a tiny, cartoon drawing of Ayame with a wide grin and a 'thumbs up' just below it. This extra comment was absent from Momiji's invitation, evidently because Hatori was a much closer friend of Ayame's.

The older man briefly glanced up from his papers to reply. "Yes, of course. I am supposed to be the best man as well as the officiant. Ayame insisted that I get a temporary ordination so that I could conduct the ceremony."

"Oh. Hmmm..." Momiji said, looking down at the invitation again. "It's just that..." Hatori looked up again after Momiji's falter. "Well, you're always going after him when he's 'being a nuisance' to tell him why he shouldn't do certain things. And your personalities just clash so much, it makes me wonder if he really annoys you and you're just too nice to say anything."

Momiji only ever spoke with Ayame a couple of times when he used to buy clothing from his self-entitled lingerie store during his girlish phase. Aside from his erotic costumes, Ayame also had a selection of regular but still custom-made clothes for Momiji to pick and choose from. They got along very well, as they were both incredibly boisterous chatterboxes who shared a love of clothing (each to their own degree), however they rarely had any interaction outside of the shop. The only other times Momiji had been around Ayame was when he would come to visit Hatori.

Now Hatori suddenly had a seldom-seen smile on his face, but it didn't last long before he regained his serious composure. "Ayame is a very...persistent individual. He has many traits that make him exasperating, like his loudness, his self-centered directness, and the mere fact that he runs a 'men's romance' clothing store. But he always goes after what he wants, and actually sometimes what he wants can be very simple and noble things. His approach may be entirely out of proportion, but in the end his intentions are meaningful. For example, his two-year engagement with Mine? The reason they waited so long was because Ayame wanted to plan it out to make it the 'greatest event in Sohma family history'. Shigure tells me it's going to be a very colourful affair." He paused for a bit, and Momiji almost thought that he'd returned to his paperwork. Instead, he added, "And I'm going because...Ayame has been one of my two closest friends for as long as I can remember. In a way, his and Shigure's antics have brought some much-needed humour in my life. While at the heart the sadness of the curse was always there, at the surface I could almost forget, being so busy trying to keep those two out of trouble."

Momiji smiled. "That's a very interesting explanation." Hatori chuckled.

"Also, if I don't go, I'll have to face further exasperation from Ayame's melodramatic broken heart." Momiji laughed, and Hatori finally returned to his papers with his usual serious expression. "And you, Momiji?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he flipped through a set of stapled pages. "Are you going to the wedding?"

Momiji suddenly took on a pensive look. "Yes..."

"You don't seem as excited as I expected," Hatori remarked.

"I dunno, I'm sure it'll be great. Ayame's a fun guy. And I heard he's inviting Tohru and Kyo, and I'd really like to see Tohru again..." Momiji's voice trailed off.

"But...?"

"But..." Momiji slouched in his chair with an uncharacteristic sigh of defeat. "I still haven't found my sweetheart yet."

Approximately two or three years ago, after the Sohma family curse that had burdened them for so many generations was finally lifted, each member of the former Zodiac had decided on new, better futures for themselves. Momiji remembered himself sitting at a table with his best friend Haru and Haru's girlfriend Rin, as they all shared their thoughts on what they would do now that the curse had been broken. Momiji had complained that Kyo's own decision of travelling with Tohru around the country for his martial arts training was selfish of him (and, less significantly, how he'd have liked to pinch him). But he admitted to the couple that if he was going to find himself a girlfriend of his own, or a 'sweetheart' as he'd put it, he would look to others. He vowed to find a girl like Tohru to call his own, to be happy with for the rest of their lives. Now, it's been three years since then, and even while having had all that freedom in his last year of high school, he hadn't found anyone special in particular.

Hatori studied Momiji's face. The young man who he'd partially brought up since the day that he'd erased his mother's memories was very downcast. His mouth was turned downwards into an unnatural frown, and it wasn't his usual pout he had when something mildly disappointed him. No, this was a frown that once again reminded Hatori of those unfortunate times. It tugged at the older man's heart to see the energetic, optimistic child he always knew turn into a serious, solemn young man.

"It looks as though something deeper seems to be bothering you, Momiji," Hatori commented, mentally throwing all thoughts about his papers out the window. Momiji sighed.

"I don't know. Ever since my own curse was broken I just felt so alone. The connection I had with all of you, the only real family I ever had - in a way, it seemed to all just...disappear. Of course, you were all still there. I would always be living in the Sohma estate, because despite the curse being lifted there was no way I could return to my own family. Still, I couldn't help feeling lonely, being one of the first to be set free. I had so much freedom, and yet I didn't know what to do with it." Momiji sighed, cradling his chin in his palms with his arms propped up on the table. The young man's brown eyes were dark with hopelessness.

"You didn't send out any application to a university last year. I know you're not sure as to what you should do, but why didn't you come to me sooner? Did you have the slightest idea in mind?"

Momiji hid his face in his hands with the tiniest smile. "There are very few people that I've told about it, but..." He lifted his head and stared up at the ceiling as if he were looking beyond it, far up into the sky, his eyes gleaming thoughtfully. "I want to become a violinist."

"Ah..." Hatori tapped his chin. "I always thought it was just a hobby, you never really mentioned it much. You used to take lessons, correct?" Momiji's eyes darkened once more, his gaze falling to the table.

"Father made me quit," he said with an oddly bitter tone. "Momo started getting curious about me, so she wanted take lessons from the same teacher – and of course we can't have that, now can we?" He rubbed his hands over his face and shook out his blonde waves. "Although - " his voice suddenly brightened " - I'm happy that Momo wants to know more about me. I'm not allowed to see her or Mother might have a memory relapse. Still, it's nice to know that my little sister notices me and is taking an interest in the things I like."

"Do you still need a teacher?" Hatori asked. Momiji grimaced.

"His lessons were really helpful, and there's still so much to learn. But I guess I'll have to go down this path alone." Momiji hopped up to fix himself a bowl of cereal, as his stomach was scolding him for taking so long to feed it. Once he sat down, munching on the crunchy flakes, he swallowed and twirled his spoon around in his fingers. "I just need a place to start..."

"The most famous of people had to start out somewhere small before making their way to the top. They didn't become famous overnight," Hatori told him. "Are you sure you don't want to apply for a music course in university?"

"No..." Momiji replied, his voice trailing off. He ran a hand through his hair. "I feel that I want to...let the music guide me. Formal education seems too bland and structured, like there's no life or inspiration in it. Maybe it's foolish of me to think that, and I could probably go far in university if I tried. But I want to start on my future now. There's nothing left for me to wish for but my future, and since that's the case, I want to make a name for myself as quickly as possible."

"Why don't you advertise your performance for a restaurant or some other popular gathering place? Or look for signs and ads that request a musician around the area? Little by little, you'll be able to reach your ultimate goal." Momiji considered Hatori's advice as he thoughtfully chewed on his cereal. Then he beamed.

"That sounds good. Thank you, Ha'ri!" The blonde young man leaped to his feet. "I was never sure I would ever get the chance to start on my dreams. The curse always held me back, and although Akito didn't seem to like me very much, she never would have let me leave her side. But I have the freedom now, and the ability to do something with it!" He raced into his room to fetch his violin, leaving Hatori chuckling lightly, sipping his tea. Soon the faint bowing of the stringed instrument passionately resonated from the former rabbit's room.

No matter what happened, regardless of the amount of time it would take, Momiji would definitely reach his goal. He was young, had plenty of optimism and charisma, and he was very determined. His talents and his personality would definitely bring him far.

If only he didn't have to do it alone, Hatori thought grimly.

A/N: I had to throw Ayame in there at the beginning. After Momiji and Haru, he's my favourite. :3

And that's it for the first chapter. Please remember to review! :)