Summary: Shigure's always so meddlesome, playing pranks and stirring up drama. But his interfering habits aren't always bad, and Shigure decides to use his cleverness to nudge Hatori in the right direction. He is a novelist after all, and who can set up a romantic relationship better than a writer?
A/N: This is my first Furuba story. It pulls from both the anime and the manga (of which I've only read maybe half, and that was years ago). In terms of time, I would place it around book four or so. It will follow the general timeline of the manga, but there will still be quite a bit of AU elements.
"There is neither heaven nor earth, only snow, falling incessantly."
-Hashin
Chapter one:
The phone rang. He jumped out of his skin.
"Ha'ri! So you are alive! We were beginning to wonder if perhaps you had crashed on your way over," Shigure said before Hatori had a chance to speak.
Hatori cleared his throat, still a little shaken over being interrupted from his reverie so suddenly. "Over where?"
Shigure paused, then sighed. "You didn't forget, did you?" he teased. "You promised to come by this evening and have dinner. Tohru-kun's been in the kitchen all afternoon, cooking a delicious meal for you, but if you aren't coming…."
Hatori shook his head, rubbing an eye with his empty hand. He glanced at the clock, and then back to the window where he had been staring out before Shigure called. "I don't recall agreeing to stop by so much as you deciding for me."
"Haa-san, it will do you good to get out of that office and in front of company that aren't sick and injured patients and that annoying nurse of yours," Shigure said firmly. He hesitated, then added more seriously, "Also, I was rather hoping you'd be able to check on Yuki while you were here, at the very least. This weather's been making his asthma act up quite a bit lately. He refuses to come to the clinic, of course, but if you were to come here…."
He sighed. "All right, fine. I have to finish a few things up here, but I'll be there within the hour," Hatori said flatly, looking at the large stack of files and charts that lay on the desk in front of him. He had a lot of work to get done, but Hatori couldn't deny that a home-cooked meal sounded appealing right now. He'd barely eaten all day.
"You agree so quickly to see Yuki, but I have to coerce you into visiting me?" Shigure said, sounding scandalized. "I'm hurt, Haa-san—"
Hatori hung up the phone. He picked up his pen and tapped it against the chart that had been sitting in front of him—untouched—for the better part of half an hour. He managed to write half a sentence before he dropped his pen and cracked his knuckles, already losing his focus. Akito had fallen ill again last night, and Hatori hadn't gotten much sleep.
Knowing he wasn't going to get anything done, Hatori stacked the charts and slid them aside to work on later. He wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight anyway, knowing there was an entire afternoon's worth of work sitting in his office. Hatori stood up and pulled on his jacket, vaguely considering whether he should change his shirt to one less wrinkled. As he turned off the lights to the office, Hatori decided against it—he doubted whether anyone would notice.
Outside the trees swayed dangerously close to the houses, which rattled in the heavy wind. Hatori pulled his coat tighter about himself in the biting cold as he unlocked his car. No wonder Yuki's asthma was acting up. Kyo was doubtlessly feeling unlike himself as well, as he hardly fared much better in severe weather.
The drive to Shigure's house normally took several minutes, but it seemed Hatori had only to blink and he was already there. Was he really that out of it? He turned off the ignition and approached the front door. He held out a hand to knock when it was suddenly yanked open, and Hatori froze.
Kyo looked stunned for a moment, but quickly regained himself. "What the hell are you doing here?" he snapped, looking unhappy.
Hatori was unfazed. "Do you always answer the door like that?"
"Oh, good, Hatori's here," said Shigure, appearing from behind Kyo. "Kyo, why don't you make yourself useful and take his coat?"
Kyo snorted. "Like hell I will," he spat, storming past Hatori.
"Don't stay on that roof for too long, or you'll get sick!" Shigure called after him, but Kyo had already disappeared around the side of the house. He turned back to Hatori and stepped back to let the man enter.
"What have you done to upset him now?" Hatori asked, removing his shoes.
Shigure held up his hands. "I'm innocent in this. It's him and Yuki—what else is new? It doesn't help that the poor weather makes him moodier than usual," Shigure said, shrugging. "It's a wonder they haven't broken part of my house yet today. Anyway, follow me. Tohru's setting up the table, and none of us are allowed near it."
Hatori followed Shigure down the hall, where they ran into a disgruntled-looking Yuki coming down the stairs.
"You're here early," Yuki noted, checking his watch.
"Yes, he's actually come right when I've asked him to. I'm so used to Ha'ri showing up hours after I've called that I figured I should give him a large window," said Shigure.
"My last two appointments cancelled because of the weather, and I thought I'd get this over with," said Hatori flatly. Then he added, "Speaking of which, Yuki—Shigure says your asthma has been flaring up lately?"
Yuki looked confused. "No, my asthma's fine."
They both turned to look at Shigure, who merely shrugged and continued down the hall. "Come on, Ha'ri, you know you'd have found some excuse not to come if you didn't think you had to."
Hatori sighed, annoyed. He really should have seen this coming.
"And don't think you can leave, either," Shigure added, guessing Hatori's next thought. He slid open the door to his study and sat down lazily. "You're already here, so you might as well stay for dinner. You wouldn't want our little flower's magnificent dinner to go to waste, now would you?"
Hatori merely shot Shigure a look. "You would eat the whole thing yourself, and you know it."
Shigure shrugged, waving a hand dismissively. "You look tired," he commented, changing the subject. "Have you been sleeping?"
"I am tired," said Hatori, lighting a cigarette. You keep dragging me into annoying situations. "I was up most of the night with Akito."
"That's it?" Shigure asked expectantly.
Hatori paused. "Should I have been awake for something else?"
"Well, I just figured there might be another reason," said Shigure vaguely, reaching for his own pack of cigarettes from his desk. "Like Kana," he finally added, blowing a puff of smoke towards the ceiling.
Hatori took a deep drag off the cigarette, then exhaled. "What about her?" he asked carefully.
"Well, it was today that she left, wasn't it? Two years ago?"
"Is it?" Hatori asked idly.
"Don't be evasive," scolded Shigure, taking on a serious tone. He straightened up in his chair and pushed his dirty tea cups that littered the desktop aside. "We worry about you. Ayame and I both. And be glad that I didn't ask Aya to come over as well," Shigure added. "Though that was mostly for Yuki's sake."
"I should have figured you were up to something when you were so adamant about having me over," Hatori noted. "I appreciate your concern, Shigure, but I assure you it isn't necessary."
Shigure gave an exasperated sigh. "You're always so stoic, Ha'ri, it astounds me. Not like Teruo," he said, referring to the main character of his current book. "Now he would have given in to his emotions and raised up a storm. Shouted, cried, and have broken something. Which you should try doing once in a while; it's very refreshing."
"Then what would you have me break? Yuki and Kyo seem to have a claim on the house, so that leaves your table and computer."
Amused, Shigure opened his mouth to speak, but just then there came a hesitant knock. Both men turned to see Tohru standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said breathlessly. "But I just wanted to let you know that dinner's ready."
"Oh, you're too kind, Tohru-kun," said Shigure affectionately, stubbing out his cigarette on the ashtray. "And it's about time Ha'ri here sampled some more of your delicious cooking!"
"Have you seen Kyo?" Tohru asked as they made their way down the hall. "I can't find him, and I don't want him to miss dinner."
"Oh, he's on the roof again," said Shigure dismissively.
Tohru looked shocked. "In this weather? But he'll get sick!" She moved towards the front door, but Shigure stopped her.
"Don't worry about Kyo, I'll go get him," he said, rolling his eyes. "Go get dinner." He added, gesturing towards the kitchen.
Hatori followed Tohru into the other room while Shigure went to collect their disgruntled cousin. He paused in the doorway, completely taken aback by how much food there was. Not only that, but how elaborate everything looked. Tohru must have been working on it all day.
"Er, I wasn't sure what you liked," said Tohru hesitantly, watching Hatori's expression carefully. "So I made a little of everything."
Hatori cleared his throat. "It looks delicious," he assured her, sitting down.
Tohru beamed. "Great! I'll go and get the tea!" she said, and rushed back into the kitchen.
"Are your dinners always this elaborate?" Hatori asked Yuki, who was already seated at the table.
"At first they were," Yuki said, shrugging. "I think she was trying to prove that she was capable of earning her keep. Now she usually only goes to all this trouble if it's a special occasion."
Hatori frowned. What kind of occasion was it for Tohru to have prepared such an elaborate meal? He hoped she hadn't gone to all this trouble on account of himself.
"-doesn't matter!"
"Kyo, while we do have a doctor with us, it wouldn't do you well to get sick," Shigure scolded from the hallway.
"I'm fine," Kyo snapped, appearing in the doorway and looking rather unhappy. "It's not even raining yet." He sat down roughly and without a word to either Yuki or Hatori, helped himself to the soup.
Shigure sat down as well, looking at the table in amazement. "My, my, our little bride has really gone to too much trouble!"
"Would you stop calling her that?" Yuki said, rubbing his temples.
"Yeah, it's really creepy," added Kyo, shooting Shigure a disgusted look. "And you," he continued, rounding on Hatori. "He's your friend—you should make sure he doesn't say such stupid things!"
Hatori ignored him.
"Now, Kyo, settle down," said Shigure patronizingly.
Kyo bristled at that. "Don't tell me what to do, you damn dog!"
"Shigure, you shouldn't incite him," Hatori admonished, shaking his head.
Just then Tohru appeared with a tea tray. "Oh, good, everyone's here!" She paused, looking around the table for a moment, then seemed to falter. "Er, Hatori-san? Is the food not to your liking?"
"What?" said Hatori distractedly, looking around. Shigure and the others had already filled their plates with food, and his remained empty.
"No, no, Tohru-kun, Haa-san here just has manners, unlike the rest of us," explained Shigure, filling his rice bowl well past its limit. "He waits until the hostess has seated herself."
Tohru blushed. "Oh, well—please don't wait on account of me!" she said quickly, setting the tea tray down and filling cups. "Hatori-san, would you like some tea?"
"Yes, thank you," said Hatori, feeling self-conscious now. He caught Tohru stealing another glance at his empty plate, and decided to help himself to the tonkatsu so that she wouldn't think he disliked her cooking.
"Shigure-san, how is your new book coming along?" Tohru asked, finally seating herself at the table.
"I'm stuck," said Shigure with a deep sigh. "I have the two lovers where I want them, but I can't seem to get them to do anything without it sounding contrived. Satomi's so kind-hearted, but Teruo is closed-off since his wife died. I have to somehow get Teruo to open up, but even Satomi can't wait forever."
"Is this another one of your romances?" Hatori asked, hoping Shigure knew better than to consult Tohru for advice on those projects.
"No, but it would be so much easier if it were," said Shigure, helping himself to seconds. "Tohru, you're a little like Satomi. How would you do it?"
Tohru blushed heavily and hesitated at being put on the spot. She picked at her food with her chopsticks. "Oh! Um, well, I don't know. I guess I would try to be Teruo's friend."
"Even though you're madly in love with him, and it kills you that he doesn't reciprocate?"
"Well, yes," said Tohru, wringing her hands in her lap. She paused, then said with more conviction, "I'm sure Satomi would be very hurt by loving someone who didn't love her back, but if you really loved someone, you would do what you thought was best for them. I think Satomi would ultimately be happy about having Teruo in her life, even if they are just friends. If she doesn't stick around as a love-interest, then maybe she will as his friend."
"Hmm," said Shigure thoughtfully. "But what about Teruo?"
"Well," said Tohru slowly. "I think he's afraid more than anything else. You said the other day that he blames himself for his wife's death, right? So maybe he feels guilty, like he doesn't deserve to be happy. That's why he's pushing Satomi away—not because he doesn't love her, but because he thinks he doesn't deserve to love her."
Shigure beamed at her. "Smart girl!"
Tohru blushed again. "Oh, I'm not that smart, really. It's just a thought, and I'm sure your ideas are much better."
"I'll need some kind of catalyst to make Teruo change his mind," said Shigure, more to himself than to the others. "Or should they fall in love slowly?"
"Well, I'm sure Shigure-san will figure it out," said Tohru confidently, refilling everyone's tea cups.
"You're right," said Shigure, wagging a finger at her. "I am a great novelist, after all!"
"Don't encourage him, Tohru," said Kyo darkly, sipping his tea. "His ego's big enough as it is."
"You're very perceptive, Miss Honda," said Yuki, smiling at her. "Perhaps you should consider becoming a novelist yourself."
"What? Oh—no! I'm sure I wouldn't be that good, not like Shigure-san!"
"You would be learning from the best!" said Shigure, taking the last of the sukiyaki. "High literature takes a while, but romances are easy to finish—"
"Shigure, you shouldn't encourage her to get involved with that racy garbage," said Hatori firmly, sipping his tea.
"Yeah, that's disgusting," Kyo added, glaring at Shigure.
Yuki ignored Shigure's comment and turned back to Tohru. "I'm serious, I think you could be really good."
Tohru beamed. "Really? You think so?"
"Of course."
Hatori watched as Tohru turned to Kyo hopefully. Kyo sighed, then relented. "Yeah, I guess you'd be okay, if that's really what you want to do. Just stay away from writing that romance crap Shigure's always doing."
Tohru's smile widened at Kyo's words, but Yuki frowned.
"I think Miss Honda would be very good at anything she chose to write. You don't?"
"That's not what I said, you baka!" Kyo snapped, his fragile temper flaring. "What I meant was I don't think she'd write that pervy crap Shigure's always doing!"
"Has everyone finished?" Tohru asked, glancing around at the empty dishes.
"Yes, thank you," said Hatori, handing Tohru his.
"It was delicious as always, Tohru-kun," said Shigure appreciatively, sitting back and patting his stomach. "And you boys, stop fighting over our hostess. Your jealousy isn't becoming."
"Who said anything about being jealous?" Kyo demanded, rounding on Shigure now. Hatori sighed; it seemed the boy was only able to keep his temper in check for so long.
"Are you finished as well, Kyo?" Tohru asked.
"Yes," Kyo snapped, standing up. "I'm going out."
Tohru hesitated at Kyo's abruptness.
"Don't stay on that roof for long!" Shigure called. "If you get sick, I'm sure Ha-san isn't going to want to deal with you after your behavior tonight!"
Kyo slammed the door in response.
"I'll help you with the dishes, Miss Honda," said Yuki, gathering the few plates left and standing up.
"Oh, well, thank you, Yuki!" said Tohru, smiling again as she headed towards the kitchen.
Shigure sighed when Yuki and Tohru had left the room. He rested his chin in his hand. "Well, they were better behaved tonight than they usually are. Normally they start fighting and Kyo breaks a part of my house."
"You have a strange habit of taking in strays," noted Hatori. "First Yuki, then Honda-kun, and now Kyo. Momiji and Kisa spend so much time here, it's only a matter of time before they move in as well."
"Yes, and to think my house used to be so quiet," said Shigure, shrugging. "Though it has been wonderful having a woman's touch around here," he added. "My little flower has been a real joy!"
"Somehow, that doesn't sound right coming from you," said Hatori, pulling out his pack of cigarettes.
"Before I forget," said Shigure, straightening up and changing the subject. "I was at the Shiraki's bookstore this morning. They said your book will be in tomorrow. If you're too busy, I'm going again this weekend. I'd be happy to pick it up."
"No, it's fine," said Hatori. "I don't mind going. I need a break from the Main House anyway."
Shigure looked thoughtful. "Akito wearing you out?"
"Among other things," Hatori replied, rubbing his temple. "I haven't left the House in a long time, anyway. I just need some fresh air."
Shigure nodded. He stretched, then asked, "Are you going to stay for desert? I'm sure Tohru-kun has something delicious prepared."
"No, I should be going," said Hatori, checking his watch. He got to his feet, and Shigure followed suit. "I have a lot of work to catch up on."
They walked towards the front door, where Hatori collected his coat and shoes. "Tell Honda-kun 'thank you' for the dinner," Hatori said, slipping his shoes on.
"She'll be so heart-broken you aren't sticking around for her desert," Shigure teased, leaning against the wall.
Hatori didn't rise to the bait. "I'm sure you'll eat enough for the both of us," he said, opening the door. Outside, the wind had subsided somewhat, but there were still leaves and twigs littering the front lawn. Hatori brushed off the debris from his front windshield, and got inside the car. Mechanically, he started up the engine and pulled onto the main road toward the Sohma compound. Once he neared the main gates, his cell phone went off.
It was Akito.
It was going to be another long night.