WARNING: Small mention of the infamous chapters 97-99 spoiler.
Hatori stared at his reflection in his bedroom mirror, trying to get his tie tied perfectly. He liked to look professional, whether or not it was a day he was working. It made him feel cleaner, more pieced together.
He didn't need to go into his office today; or at least, there wasn't a reason to yet. Akito was perfectly healthy, as were the rest of the Sohma's and, for once, everyone was up to date on their physicals. Today, he had a much more important matter of business.
Today, he would be erasing Tohru's memories.
Hatori had seen this day coming ever since he found out that Akito had allowed Tohru to continue knowing about the curse. Nothing ever good came from allowing outsiders in on the secret.
It was a rather sudden decision though, but that was almost to be expected. Akito was growing more and more irrational, more paranoid than ever. And, then two days ago, she sent out the orders to have Tohru come to the main house to have her memories erased.
Hatori sighed. It was inevitable, that her memories would be erased. No other outsider was able to keep the knowledge of the Sohma curse for so long; he wasn't sure whether or not it was a blessing for her that she was able to be in on the secret for such an extended amount of time.
Ah, there. His tie was perfect. Taking one last look to make sure his shirt was tucked in neatly, Hatori set off to the room where Tohru would be waiting for him. He wondered briefly whether or not she'd be alone, then quickly came to the conclusion that Yuki would probably be with her.
Two surprises met him when he entered the room; the first was that Tohru was crying. True, he hadn't thought she would be happy with the decision that her memories were to be erased. He just hadn't expected her to be crying; and she wasn't just crying. She was sobbing, bent over on the floor, her entire body shaking with her cries.
The second surprise was that it wasn't Yuki who was kneeling beside her, a hand on her back with his face close to hers, talking softly to her; it was Kyo. While it was obvious that both Kyo and Yuki cared for Tohru, Kyo didn't seem the type to go out of his way to stay by Tohru, to be her backbone. Hatori was sure that Yuki filled that position, however rarely it was needed.
Hatori stood in the doorway for a moment, unsure of how to handle this situation. He hadn't prepared himself for finding a near-hysterical Tohru; he had been prepared to just quickly, and calmly, talk with Tohru for perhaps a moment or two, clear up any worries she might have, and then get the deed done and over with.
After a moment, Kyo looked up, and his eyes met Hatori's. Hatori immediately recognized the look in his eyes; the total helplessness of when a woman cried, the need to comfort her but without a clue as to how. The redhead's eyes tore away from Hatori's seconds later, to go back down to Tohru's level, to whisper some more.
Eventually, Tohru sat up, with tears still streaming down her cheeks. Kyo stayed by her side, even as Hatori set up some cushions behind her, for when she fell back.
"Kyo," Hatori said as he knelt directly in front of Tohru, "it might be a good idea if you left. It'll be easier for the both of you."
Kyo shook his head, but remained silent. His gaze was on Tohru, on the pain and slight fear on her face.
"All right then…." Hatori then turned his focus to Tohru. "Do you have any questions?"
It was such a routine question to ask; he asked it all the time with his patients that it just became a habit. Besides, it seemed to make people more comfortable if they knew exactly what was going to happen.
"W-why?" Her voice was shaking; she stuttered through her tears.
"It's Akito's orders." The simplest, most complete answer he could ever give.
"Can I k-k-keep some of my m-memories?"
Hatori sighed. "Tohru, I'm sorry, but all memories of the curse have to be erased."
"I-I don't mean those memories…. Other memories…of Kyo-kun and everyone else…. Of everything I've done with them…."
It was only then that Hatori noticed that she was holding hands with Kyo, and was holding hands very tightly with him, and the way he was looking at her, the expression in his eyes. Something had very recently sparked between them.
Of course. Hatori had the feeling that there was a second Sohma curse; that no Sohma male could ever find a relationship that would work out without something of Akito's doings getting in the way.
"It depends on how many are tied to memories of the curse, and how tightly they're attached to those memories," Hatori explained. "There is really no way of knowing."
Tohru looked down once more, biting her lip, obviously struggling to keep from crying once more.
"Are you ready?"
His final question.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Tohru nodded, and a sob escaped her lips.
This was beginning to tear him up inside. Refusing to let his emotions get the better of him (it would end up terribly, and most likely tragically, for Tohru if he didn't get this done), he set his passive, nearly cold façade in place and reached forward to cover her eyes.
Quite suddenly, his hand was knocked away.
In surprised, Hatori looked at Kyo. He was staring at the doctor, a hard expression on his face, his jaw set.
"Don't do this, Hatori," Kyo said, nearly growling the words out.
"Kyo," Hatori started, using the tone one might give to a toddler who just went out of line.
"Don't 'Kyo' me!" Kyo snapped back. "You-you know how this is! You lost Kana like this; don't do this to Tohru, to-to me, to everyone!"
"Kyo-kun," Tohru said softly, but he didn't react. He kept his angry gaze on Hatori.
Hatori sighed. "Kyo, you know I must."
"Please, Hatori! Don't do this to her!"
"Kyo-kun-"
Hatori looked away for a moment; he had to. He knew exactly how Kyo felt, knew exactly how much it hurt. But it couldn't be helped. It was Akito's orders, and they had to be obeyed.
When he looked back, Kyo was half crouching in front of Tohru, seemingly tried to shield her from him. Tohru was crying again, tugging on his sleeve, saying his name over and over.
"I…I won't let you touch her," Kyo growled out.
"Kyo, I am not your enemy," Hatori said calmly, his voice heavy. "If you do not move, if you do not let me do this, I will have you taken from the room."
Kyo did not move, only clenched his jaw tighter.
"Ha-Hatori-san?"
Hatori looked at Tohru. "Yes?"
"Could I have a few minutes alone with Kyo-kun?" She asked, wiping her eyes. "Please?"
Hatori considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right, I can give you five minutes."
"Th-thank you so much, Hatori-san."
As he stood up, Hatori said to Kyo, "Don't try to take her from the room. I will be just outside the door."
The only response he received from the cat was a flash of fury in his eyes.
Once outside the room, Hatori loosened his tie ever so slightly. This was the taking a lot out of him emotionally. He felt for them, the both of them. He knew exactly how it felt to be in Kyo's position, and he understood just how precious memories were. That was why he decided to give them a few extra moments together; his last minutes with Kana, before he decided to erase her memories, were held so close to his heart.
He went to the water jug in his office (the room Tohru and Kyo were in was his examining room) and poured himself a cup. He drank it slowly, trying to keep himself together.
Their situation wasn't, perhaps, as dire as Kyo was making it sound. Tohru would not be lost to them forever; she would continue living in Shigure's house, and would have many memories, Hatori was sure, with everyone in them. She would just remember nothing about the curse.
Why Kyo wanted her to remember, Hatori wasn't sure. The curse brought nothing good to outsiders, nothing at all. If she were to keep her memories, something worse would happen to her, he was sure of it.
Hatori glanced at his watch; the five minutes were nearly up. He headed slowly back to the room.
Before he even reached the door, it slid open, and Kyo stepped out. His eyes were slightly red, and he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He gave Hatori a cold look, then turned to leave the office.
Inside the room, Tohru appeared to be in the same state; puffy red eyes and the sniffles. Hatori momentarily thought of how inconsiderate it was for him not to bring her back some water; after all she had cried, she'd certainly be thirsty.
"Are you ready?" Hatori asked gently as he knelt in front of her for the second time.
Tohru didn't say anything, just nodded.
"This won't hurt, I promise," Hatori said as he placed his hand over her eyes. "It'll be just as though you're falling asleep."
And then he concentrated.
My longest (possible) one-shot yet!
I definitely enjoyed this change of POV; I think I've only written from Ha'ri's POV once or twice before. I like it.
I'm not sure if I want to keep this as it is, or add chapters. I have a slight plotline figured out for this, but it's a bit shaky, so I'm not sure whether or not to add more.
Review? Por favor?