A/N:Hello, pets. I have decided to re-write the first few chapters. I hope y'all don't mind, but the short choppiness is bugging mee! Review! Give me love! :3

Laundry

She hummed as she took the laundry down. It was sunny out; beautiful. Still humming, she entered the house, the basket balancing precariously on her hip. Wobbling, she turned slowly on her foot and shut the door. Voices rose from the main room and she quietly slid the door separating the kitchen and the main room open.

"Tohru, pet!" Shigure cried warmly. "My little flower, hard at work!"

"Hello, Shigure," she smiled, moving the basket of laundry to her other hip. "Oh, Ayame, hello to you, too!"

"Oh, Shii, you're so lucky," Ayame drawled. "No one ever cleans my house. It's a mess."

Chuckling to herself, Tohru exited quietly as the two men bantered. She rounded the corner and promptly bumped into Hatori. "Excuse me, I'm sorry," she muttered, turning fuchsia and scurrying up the stairs. Hatori stared after her, confusion written on his face.

"Is Miss Honda alright?" he asked, cutting through his cousins' discussion. "She seemed rather..flustered."

"Did she?" Shigure asked in surprise. "She was quite alright just a minute ago."

"Hatori, you dirty man, what did you do to he-ow!" Ayame cried as Hatori cuffed his head. "You're so touchy, Ha'ri, I just asked a simple question!"

"Keep them to yourself," he growled darkly.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Tohru sang to herself as she folded the laundry into separate piles. Oh, why did she have to feel like such a child around Hatori? She wanted nothing more than to prove how mature and adult she was. Whenever she tried, though, she just wound up looking more childish than ever. "Oh, I give up," she said, putting away her clothes and walking down to Yuki's room. "Yuki, are you in here?"

"Come in, Miss Honda," he called.

"I just wanted to give you your laundry," she said, holding up the neat pile. "Where would you like me to put them?"

"You can just set them on the dresser, Miss Honda. Thank you," he said, smiling. "I thought I heard my brother's voice. Is he here?"

"Yes, and so is Hatori," Tohru said, gently placing the clothing on his dresser top. "They'll be here for a while, if you want to go say hello." With a smile, she left, heading down towards Kyo's room. "Kyo?" she asked with a little knock. After waiting for a moment, she left the clothes outside of his door and headed downstairs.

"All we're saying, Ha'ri, is that if you want her, go after her. She won't wait around for forever!" Shigure said.

"Shii is right, Ha'ri!" Ayame crooned. "Ask her out. Give her a little smooch. Something!"

Heart sinking, Tohru knocked on Shigure's office door. "Shigure, I've got your laundry all finished up," she said, entering. "Where do you want it?"

"Oh, on the chair is just fine," he said, flashing her a grin.

"Alright," she said, setting them down and backing out, avoiding eye contact with Hatori. "Dinner is at six, if you all want to stay and eat with us."

Why wouldn't she look at him? He watched as she backed out of the room, pointedly avoiding his eyes. What if she had heard them talking about her? And what if she felt awkward around him now? He sighed, settling lower in his chair as Ayame and Shigure bantered. He was going to have to figure this out, and soon.

"Hatori, you look like such a grump," Shigure complained, shaking him by the shoulders. "Cheer up! Smile for once, instead of frowning."

"I'm not frowning," he said. "And I'm not a grump. Ayame, are you almost ready?"

"No, we're staying for dinner!" he cried, grinning. "Maybe you can make a move then?"

"Stop it," Hatori said, standing.

"Where are you going?"

"I need fresh air," he snapped.

She heard the door slide open behind her as she hung up the dripping laundry. Turning slightly, she glanced through her peripheral vision, then swallowed hard as she realized that it was Hatori. Silently, she continued to hang up the laundry. She didn't trust her voice not to crack or betray emotion. He cleared his throat several times, watching her movements. There had to be some way to break the tension..

Without saying anything, she picked up her empty laundry basket and walked past him, briefly meeting his eyes. He rolled himself up onto the balls of his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets in frustration, looking up towards the sky. What had caused the sudden change in her behavior towards him? With a last sigh, he turned and walked back inside.

"Come on, Ayame, we need to be heading back," he said, his tone hard.

"But Ha'ri," Ayame whined. He quickly stopped at the churlish face Hatori wore. "See you tomorrow, Shii, Tohru!"

"Bye!" Shigure said, waving as they disappeared .

Too late, Tohru muttered her own goodbye, disappointment coloring her tone.

"Don't worry," Shigure said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "They'll be back. We can't seem to get rid of them, eh?"

A/N: Alright, there it is. What did you guys think of it? Reviews are like gold, so keep 'em comin'! Love you alllll!