Infectious

by mistakendragon815

Hatori has had spinal surgery. Toriru! Rated T coz it's a sexy letter hahaha

Stuff: I know it's been written a hundred and one times, but allow me to be the hundred and second person to write a fanfic for a sick Hatori and Tohru. For those of you looking for smut, you ain't going to find it here, sorry. Oh, and for those who don't know what a 'doona' is, it's a 'quilt' or 'duvet'. I asked my friends sister who is half canadian if she wanted a hand with her doona, and she was like "WTF MAN!!!"
Anyway, on with the story. Tsuess.

Sighing deeply, Hatori massaged his temples and rubbed his eyes, thanking the heavens that his last patient had left and he could begin his paperwork silently in his office. For a very long time, Hatori had kept in his late night-early morning routine and never felt the need to stop and look at his state of health and how he was neglecting himself, but tonight, he felt different. He took notice of the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead; of the unusually warm temperature his body was emitting; and of the soft throb that journeyed up his spine and stabbed his brain like a hundred knives. He bent over in discomfort. His body had finally taken enough beatings and neglect and began to rebel against its host. Hatori moaned in pain.

No one lived with him, so his home was quiet and no caring soul would be able to tend to his needs or hear him groan loudly. Instantly dropping his pen due to the pain, Hatori grabbed the base of his spine and his neck and stretched forward, hoping to remove the kinks that were causing him unnecessary ache. Hearing his back crack was the most satisfying thing Hatori had heard all night and was about to resume his paperwork when the pain stabbed furiously at a spot on his back, white blinding pain blurring his vision, and his eyes fluttered shut. He collapsed off his chair, smashing his head hard against the side of the desk and onto the floor. No one would find him for almost two days and no one would ever find out why he had collapsed.

Shigure was keen to visit his best friend Ayame. They had not seen each other since last Tuesday and he wanted to catch up with the snake in hopes of receiving some inspiration for his new novel. He also just wanted to get away from Kyo and Yuki for a few hours; they had torn angrily through his house again and he wasn't pleased. Walking up to the gates, Shigure sighed at the place where he once used to call home and opened the wooden gates. He made his way to Ayame's house and was greeted with a boastful hello. "Shigure! Welcome! How are you?"

Shigure's grey eyes met with Ayame's golden ones. "Hello, Aya. Can I come in?" The robed whitehead stepped back kindly from his door and waited for Shigure to take off his shoes and follow him inside. "I haven't been here for a while. You have changed your wallpaper again, I see." The dog's playful voice remarked.

"Well, you know, change of season, change of paper."

"So you change them season?" Shigure lifted one of his fine brows.

Ayame crinkled his brow, knowing that Shigure had other reasons to visit him other than to comment about wallpaper. "Yes I do. But tell me, Gure, what else brought you here to my humble abode? Don't tell me that you just came here so you could admire my good looks? You have Yuki around, you know, and he does share my magnificence, although they aren't as fine as my own."

A sweat drop appeared on the back of Shigure's head but quickly disappeared as he laughed. "You know me too well, Aya. Your charming looks drew me here like a cow would be drawn to a farmer with a lasso tied to its neck." The dog's grey eyes sparkled and glowed.

"My good looks are nothing compared to yours. You should have come over earlier when I was in bed. I'm sure I would have had no complaints." Ayame's seductive voice floated blissfully to Shigure's ear and made the other man smile brighter.

"Sei mio meglio amico." Shigure reached a hand out to Ayame, glad that he was part of the Mabudachi Trio.

"Tu sapere sei il mio anche." His golden eyes glistened from the light above them and gave them a holy glow.

"Yes!" Simultaneously both men halted their love moment and put their thumbs up proudly at each other. "So why are you here, Shigure?" Ayame was all business now…sort of.

"Oh, I just stopped by to see if you could offer your brilliance to my new book. I've seemed to have hit a dead end and I came to you to seek advice." Of course, Shigure was flattering Ayame to no end so he could get some information and finish his book as quick as possible so he could torture his editor again. "Do you have anything for me?"

Flicking his hair carelessly over his shoulder, Ayame placed his chin between his finger and thumb and looked dreamily at his friend. "It all really depends on what you've written." Shigure smiled at his friend and proceeded to tell him about the main plot about the story. Deeply interested, Ayame was quiet the whole time during Shigure's explanation and opened his mouth as soon as the dog was finished. "Personally, I think the girl should stay by his side, but if he does truly insist that she forget about him, then that gives her all the more reason to stay."

Shigure cocked his eyebrow again, amazed with what Ayame had just said. "That sounds good. Thank you, Aya." He leaned over the squat table they were both sitting at and poked the snake's forehead kindly. "I wonder what Tori would say to this. It's Sunday so he shouldn't have any patients, just a bunch of paperwork."

"Well, I didn't see him yesterday either. He usually goes for a walk every afternoon on Saturday's but he didn't even come outside. Probably has a lot of work, knowing him." The slight concern in the snakes voice disappeared as quickly as it came, replaced by his regular cheerfulness. "Let's see him." Shigure closed his eyes happily into upside down U's and followed his partner-in-crime out of his house, through the snowy fields that were once the gardens last spring and towards Hatori's home/workplace.

The back door screen was wide open, letting cool snowflakes drift inside and scatter playfully about the owner's office. The sand garden opposite the office was blanketed in snow, as was the patio where Ayame almost slipped on an icy patch. "Hatori usually cleans his decking everyday. I wonder if he's forgotten." Shigure turned the corner and smiled. "Well, at least he's home." He pointed at the open screen. "See?"

Ayame shared an equally happy smile as his cousin and had to contain himself to not run up to the door and shout out to Hatori. Their smiles faltered slightly as they noticed the small mound of frozen flakes billowing into the silent office. "Maybe he forgot to close the door." Ayame offered. He was half correct, unfortunately.

As soon as they stepped over the icy threshold that separated Hatori's office from the outside world, the two thirds that made up the Mabudachi Trio rushed frantically over to the limp frame that lay under its chair slightly; a small pool of dried iced blood surrounded the man's head. "Hatori!" Shigure cried. He skidded over to the fallen dragon, brushing the snowflakes that covered his body and laid his lab coat over him. "Ayame, hold Hatori close to you. I'll get his car."

Not one to whine about holding his collapsed friend, Ayame had to break his status quo and stop Shigure. "Gure, you don't know how to drive. I'll get the car and you keep Tori warm." Shigure nodded at his logic and lifted Hatori's light and faintly blue tinged frame to his chest, wrapping his arms around him to warm him up.

The dragon Zodiac never stirred once as he was being shifted into a sitting position and be given warmth, nor did he even crack open an eyelid when he was moved into the backseat of a car and driven somewhere unknown. He stomach gave a soft growl as he lay unconscious on Shigure's lap, his skin slowly turning back to its normal white. "What do you think happened to him, Gure?" Ayame's voice sounded worried, which made Shigure even more worried, but he could tell the snake was trying to settle his normally loud and boisterous voice so he didn't wake Hatori.

"Well, I'm no doctor, but at my best guess, I'd say he hasn't had enough food and water." Shigure moved his knee and noticed the doctor wince in his sleep. "And maybe has a bad back."

Not taking his eyes off the road, Ayame twisted his head to hear Shigure better. "How do you think that? I mean, Tori always has a straight back." Ayame's drawl echoed around the car as he praised Hatori's constantly correct posture.

"When I moved my knee, he seemed in pain that I moved his back. We'll have to get him quickly to my house and wake him up so he can tell us what happened. But I don't think his posture's got anything to do with it, Aya." Suddenly images of his house popped up in his head. He visualized torn down walls, broken windows, ripped up furniture and poor Tohru left to clean up the mess. He sighed. "Maybe going to my house wasn't such a good idea." Shigure said, mostly to himself. Still, he thought, Tohru's cooking and company around him should brighten Ha'ri's spirits. He might eat something as well. Shigure looked down on the flat stomach the dragon rested his hands on.

Gravel churned up as Hatori's car parked outside Shigure's home. So far nothing on the outside of his home seemed to be broken, which was a good sign to the dog Zodiac. Waiting for Ayame to open his door, Shigure lifted Hatori up and out of the car and carried him in his arms to the front door. Hatori would have killed him if he had done this whilst he was awake. "Open the door, Aya." The snake merely looked at the door, as if waiting for something. "Please?"

Ayame smiled brightly and dramatically opened the door for his cousins, revealing to spotless interior. Shigure laughed and called out to the house's occupants in a sing-song fashion. "I'm home. Did you miss me?"

Not waiting for an answer, Shigure rushed over to his room before anyone could see Hatori. To Shigure as he laid him on the bed, Hatori did somewhat resemble a skeleton. His skin was as white as porcelain, his stomach lay lower than usual and his fingers were more slender. Ayame didn't follow Shigure and ventured off into the house in search for Yuki. He heard a clatter in the distance and sighed again. "Looks like Aya's found Yuki."

Worried that he might be choking slightly on his tie, Shigure undid and slipped off the strip of fabric around Hatori's neck and unbuttoned his vest and top two buttons. The blankets underneath Hatori seemed to be supplying warmth to his back but Shigure untucked the doona from the other side where he was sleeping and folded them across his body, tucking him in and brushing stray hairs from the dragon's eyes. The cut above his left brow was quite deep and probably needed stitches but Shigure knew better than to take Hatori to hospital without his permission, so left the room to retrieve a roll of bandages. "Be right back, Ha'ri."

Because Shigure was trying to keep himself secret from everyone else, even though he exclaimed that he was home, his sneakiness earned him a transformation, for Tohru accidentally banged into him as they both turned the same corner. "Oh, Shigure, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to but you were so quiet and I didn't hear you and it's all my fault, I'm sorry." Tohru took a deep breath and looked at the dog that was once Shigure.

The dog sighed. "Tohru, it's okay. It's not your fault when you bump into us. You didn't see me." Placing his soft velvety paw on Tohru's foot as a sign of forgiveness, Tohru couldn't help herself and hugged the dog Zodiac. My flower loves me. Ahhh…Shigure cooed in his head calmly. "Oh, Tohru, I'm sorry to break up this lovely moment but I need to get some bandages and a cotton bud." Shigure looked down at his paws. "Do you mind grabbing them for me?"

Tohru bowed and reached up high, her skirt hitching up slight and giving Shigure a nice view of her long legs. The Zodiac wagged his tail and patiently waited for Tohru. As the girl turned around, a small boom and a cloud infiltrated her sight and hearing. In front of her stood a naked Shigure instead of the black dog he once was. Screaming in fright, Tohru quickly looked away and apologized as Shigure placed his Yukata back on calmly and shook his head softly. "Sorry, Tohru."

"Oh, no, I'm sorry for looking. I swear I didn't see anything." Remembering the bandage and bud in her hand, Tohru quickly passed them to Shigure, a look of concerned confusion. "Are you hurt, Shigure?"

The man in question smiled sadly. "Oh no, these aren't for me. They're for Ha-…Ayame."

"Ayame didn't seem hurt when he came here. What happened to him?"

Knowing that Tohru would probe him until he spilled the truth, Shigure decided just to quit now and tell her about Hatori. "I lied. I'm sorry. These aren't for Aya; they're actually for Hatori." Tohru looked more confused than ever. She knew Hatori was a doctor and couldn't understand why he would need Shigure to place a simple bandage on him. Shigure read her and confirmed her questions. "He hurt himself and is in my bedroom now. Would you like to see him?"

Hatori, like herself she knew, would probably not like to have people look at him when he was at his most weakest and declined nicely. "No thank you. But I will make him something, if you want me to."

Teeth flashing at her, the Zodiac dog smiled widely. "Yes, that would be a good idea. Would you make me something as well please?" Tohru nodded eagerly at Shigure's gleeful request. "You really are the best person a man could ever call a wife."

Shigure turned and walked away from the kitchen, knowing full well that as Tohru was grabbing the pots and pans from their respected cupboards she was blushing madly. "Ha'ri, I'm back." Shigure sang with a chirp. His voice lowered. "When you wake up, my flower will have the most delicious meal waiting for you, so you better open your eyes soon."

The dragon only shifted uncomfortably in Shigure's bed as he heard him talk. His senses finally reacted to touch and Hatori felt his upper body and head being moved and covered by a mysterious material. He grunted as he felt wool touch his cut and hissed quietly at the pain. Shigure heard the intake of breath from Hatori and smiled knowing his cousin was getting slightly better. Once he finished, Shigure placed a pin to keep the bandage together and moved Hatori's hair so it draped over his scared eye once more.

Hatori seemed to have had enough sleeping and cracked open his eyes. Shigure noticed and widened his smile. "Hey, welcome back, Ha'ri." Shigure's voice was as irritating as ever, Hatori confided in himself.

"Where…Where am I?" The authority in his gravelly bass voice was still present.

"You're at my place." Shigure helped his dragon friend into a sitting position; he noticed Hatori was struggling to do it by himself. Hatori grunted as the pain in his back protested against the movement he was pressuring it to bear and slumped when he sat up. "Aya and I found you in your office, covered in snow and bleeding."

Hatori recalled the events that happened that evening and retold them to Shigure. "I was just working on some paperwork when I felt an unreal pain go up my spine. I blacked out and probably hit my head on my desk." Realizing what else Shigure said, Hatori jerked forward, earning him another wave of pain, and slumped back down, defeated. "I was covered in snow?"

"Yes, but I cleaned it out of your office and closed the door, don't worry." Shigure lied. He would have to call Momiji to clean the office. He knew the boy loved to help Hatori in anyway possible. "Anyway, if you're feeling up to it, Tohru is making us some dinner and you can come to the table when you're ready." As if thinking he had to move that instant, Hatori began to swing his legs out from under the doona and onto the floor. Shigure stopped him quickly. "Not now, Haa-san. It isn't made, anyway."

"Yes, but knowing that girl, she'd probably have had made appetizers by now. You really are lucky to have someone like that, you know, so don't take her for granted." Hatori paused and wished that he had someone like Tohru to keep him company. Shigure blinked at Hatori's attempt at kind words. "I should get up. I don't need to be in a bed for a scratch."

Shigure raised a brow at Hatori's wincing as he moved and placed his hands firmly on his shoulders, pushing him gently down. "I'm not stupid, Hatori. I know your back hurts too. Do you want to tell me why?" Hatori looked at him blankly as a reply. "Please?" The dog was persistent and began to poke Hatori on his shoulder until he broke.

Hatori moaned in defeat of Shigure's pestering and explained quietly. "When I said I had to see Akito the day you guys went to the Onsen a few weeks ago, I didn't. I went to my doctor to get an x-ray on a pain I had in my back and was told I had a tumor." Shigure straightened in alarm, moving the bed dramatically and nearly falling off. Before he could question, Hatori proceeded, not willing to pause midsentence. "He operated on it a week ago, but I think the stitches have become infected. I haven't had the time to check them."

Having some knowledge about medicine, Shigure asked, "Shouldn't you still be in the hospital?"

"I said I would manage by myself after two days of care. They let me out, no questions asked, and I haven't been back since." Hatori, Shigure thought, always the stubborn one.

Still concerned for his cousin, Shigure ordered him to remove his shirt to see the stitches. Begrudgingly and after many feudal attempts to convince the dog that it was just a thought and shouldn't be taken seriously, even though he involuntarily demanded to be taken serious with his sober expressions and gravelly voice always looming over others, Hatori began to unbutton the rest of his shirt and let it fall lazily onto the bed.

Shigure frowned as the shirt floated downwards, revealing Hatori's smooth pale chest, his ribs slightly noticeable under the muscles he had developed over the years from swimming every morning, but gasped in shock at the sight of the mottled and raw red skin that plagued the stitches holding his skin together as he turned. He placed a hand near the rash and examined closer. "What does it look like?" Hatori's voice was still very serious considering Shigure's light touch caused him severe pain.

"How long have you been ignoring this, Ha'ri? Everything is all red and blotchy. I'm no doctor, but I'd say you haven't bothered to take care of yourself. You're too concerned about others." Shigure scorned softly but playfully.

Hatori shook his dark green-black locks and replied lightly, "I know what's best for me, Shigure."

"You obviously don't."

As the two men quarreled over Hatori's health, a small figure stood silently and worriedly near the small opening of the room's sliding door, holding a tray carrying 2 bowls of leek soup, some buttered toast, cucumber, crab and lobster crackers and 2 glasses of water. She shifted her weight and risked a peek to see what was happening on the other side. She gasped as she watched Hatori remove his shirt, revealing set back muscles and a very big and ugly scar near the base of his spine, and pulled back, knocking one of the glasses slightly in surprise. "Tohru?"

A gallant voice from behind the small schoolgirl startled her and she ran away from Shigure's door in case she was caught out, which she obviously had been anyway. Reaching the living room in fright, Tohru quickly placed her tray atop of the low table and caught her breath. "Oh Tohru, you really must be more aware." She recognized the voice as Ayame's and steadied herself lest she get a heart attack from the outrageous man. "You know, you shouldn't really be spying on poor Hatori."

"Ah I…I was-wasn't spying...I was just…" Ayame cut her of by placing a hand on her lips to hush her.

"Don't worry. This will be our little secret." The snake noticed the cooling meals on the table and smiled. "Are those for me? Or are they for Ha'ri?" He purred.

"Those are, um, for Hatori. But Shigure's with him and they might get cold, so-so I think it might be okay for you to have them." Tohru knew of Ayame's large snake appetite and watched him as he immediately tucked into the food, thanking her between mouthfuls.

"You, my dear Tohru…have got to be…the best cook I know." Ayame swallowed. "This is just simply delicious." He watched Tohru smile and blush before shoveling down the rest of the food and bowed as thanks. "Let's see Ha'ri, shall we?" Tohru nodded and stood with Ayame, following the fair haired man to Shigure's room. "Ladies first." Ayame offered Tohru.

Remembering she had promised food for Shigure and Hatori, Tohru began to fret and explained she had to make the men some more food. Being an understanding person, Ayame nodded and entered the room without her, interrupting Hatori and Shigure's deep discussion. Hardly ignoring the fact that Hatori was shirtless, Ayame studied the dragon's frail yet muscled torso and scarred back. "Ha'ri, what's wrong?"

The said man leaned back more, releasing tension in his spine as he relaxed back down on his pillow, and answered simply yet harshly, "I had a tumor removed and the stitches have become infected." Ayame sat on the bed across from Shigure and looked at his friend intently. "It hurts to move and all I need is a few injections and a mas…" Hatori stopped himself. "Some injections and I'll be on my way."

The Trio continued to contemplate about Hatori's condition before veering off track and talking about Akito and the rest of the Sohma's. Becoming bored, Hatori tuned out and rested his head calmly on the headboard of his temporary bed. The other two didn't notice his lack of light contributions until they noticed he was drifting off to sleep. "Ha'ri?" Ayame pried again, aware that the doctor hadn't hear the first time.

Flinging his eyes open embarrassed, Hatori grunted, "What?"

"We were just wondering if you were hungry." Shigure replied modestly. "Our lovely Tohru is kindly making you and me a delicious dinner and we wouldn't want you to fall asleep on an empty stomach, would we?"

"Wouldn't make a difference anyway." Hatori muttered. Shigure heard with his canine hearing and elbowed him lightly, insisting he continue. Hatori looked away sharply but didn't reply. A sudden small knock at the door was brought to the dragon's attention and he whipped his head over to the door, his eye's almost eager to see who was on the other side before adjusting himself and replacing his gaze with his normal stony one.

Shigure placed a hand over his mouth to hide his delighted smile whilst Ayame looked longingly at the gaze that was once set upon Hatori's face. He wished the dragon would look at him like that but when he noticed who came through the door, the snake immediately hid his dismay and smiled widely. "Tohru, your gracious entrance always makes our three hearts melt. And you have brought food!" Dramatic as always, Ayame made a point of getting off Hatori's bed and helping Tohru with her two full trays, which was most unlike him. Shigure's smile widened more as he realized Ayame was trying to impress both himself and Hatori. "This smells as delicious as the meal before, Tohru."

Craning his neck to get a good view of the food for himself and his cousin, Shigure licked his lips in anticipation and watched Tohru settle Hatori's tray over his legs, watching her cheeks redden, and Ayame hand his over. "My, my Tohru, you really are my favourite young lady, making poor old Hatori and I these meals which I'm sure you put all your heart into making. Oh, I just love it when you prepare such warm hearted and joyful meals for us men who don't deserve such affection like this." Shigure continued his rambling praises to Tohru, completely oblivious to Hatori's eyes rolling.

Losing the light redness from before, Tohru's cheeks turned into a darker shade of embarrassment and she laughed nervously. "Thank you."

Bowing, Tohru quietly left the room, sparing one last glimpse at Hatori's shirtless form before fully exiting. Her glance didn't go unnoticed by the dog and snake and both laughed together as soon as she left. "Amore for Hatori!" Ayame exclaimed.

"Not from you, Ayame." Hatori replied with a hiss, unaware of Tohru's previous expressions and his own. He picked up his chopsticks, cracking them and rubbing them together in his hands, and grabbed the octopus tentacle that caught his eye. Placing it all in his mouth whilst the others watched, shocked that he was eating with them and not just smoking or drinking tea instead or waiting for them to leave so he could eat in peace, Hatori mentally heaved a heavy sigh at the juicy and delicious flavours in the octopus. On the outside, Hatori merely picked up another tentacle and shoved it politely in his mouth. Finishing it, he spoke again. "This is good."

Trying not to looked disappointed at Hatori's quick words of delight, Shigure puffed out his chest proudly and replied, "That's what I get for having a bride as great as Tohru around to do my cooking and cleaning; nothing but the best for our meals and laundry. She's even a pretty good doctor, if I say so myself. She may replace you one day, Haa-san."

Hatori suddenly became more intrigued with the topic of Tohru, as he was almost going to scold the dog for taking advantage of her, and asked, "How do you know?"

Gesturing a daft hand at Hatori, Shigure replied with a smile on his face, "Oh, you know Kyo and Yuki. They just can't help themselves to getting into fights and bruising themselves up. She bandages them up very well and does stitches pretty good too."

"How did she learn to do those things?"

Taking into account the amount of interest Hatori was giving to the subject of Tohru's medical knowledge; Shigure couldn't help but smile wider as he spoke. "She says her mother taught her all those things when she was in her gang, just so that young Tohru would be able to stitch her back up if she ever came home from after a fight. What a talented young girl."

"Does she know how to use a needle?"

Ayame looked from Hatori to Shigure, waiting unusually quiet for an answer. "She did have to give Yuki an injection. You were on call for Akito so Tohru said she could give him his shot. Quite the doctor," Shigure paused with a small smile that slowly crept into a much larger grin, "and she's all mine."

Finishing off the last of his onigiri, Ayame jumped up from the bed taking Shigure's and Hatori's tray with him, happy that the dragon had eaten half of it before claiming silently with closed eyes that he was finished. As the snake stepped out of the room, his phone rang excitedly from his coat's pocket and Ayame dropped the trays in hast. "Hello?! Yes. Of course. No, just a family emergency, that's all. How many will there be? Okay, I'll be right there! Bye!"

Bursting back into the room excitedly, forgetting about the mess he made outside, Ayame exclaimed, "I just got a call from Mine. We've got a large order and I'm afraid I must leave. Adieu, my loves." Hatori gave the shocking being that was Ayame a quick wave, whilst Shigure made a seemingly 'out there' interpretive dance-type wave. Ayame replied with his own intricate farewell before leaving.

"Tell me something, Ha'ri."

"What is it, Shigure?"

Placing a hand across Hatori's covered legs, onto the opposite side of the mattress, and shifting his weight to the palm, Shigure rested his head on his shoulder and asked, "Do you like Tohru?" Hatori's moss green eyes lit up. The dog hadn't even tried to be subtle with his question and had half a mind to kick his sitting ass from off the bed if it didn't cause himself pain. Shigure observed Hatori's lack of answer and laughed wholeheartedly. "Oh, you naughty man. She's mine."

Hatori rolled his eyes. "Can you call her in. I have something to ask of her."

"Oh, a favour perhaps?"

"Yes, Shigure, a favour. Now can you please get her?"

Without even moving from his position on the bed, Shigure cupped his free hand beside his mouth, tilted his head slightly back and called lovingly, "Tohru! Can you come here for a moment please!?" Hatori shook his head at Shigure's childish way of summoning the poor girl that lived with him. Bursting through the door in a matter of seconds and slipping clumsily over the trays that littered the doorway, Tohru's entrance was something that both men could not ignore. Quick as a flash, Tohru jumped up from the floor, brushing dust off her sleeves. "Glad you could make it." Shigure laughed in small bursts at her fall before coming all at once and laugh hysterically that she had fallen flat on her face because of the mess outside.

"Shigure." Hatori scorned. "Leave."

Pursing his lips to stifle more laughter, the dog rose from his bed and exited with one last jibe. "Don't do anything I would do, okay Ha'ri?"

"I don't anyway." The unfortunate dragon shook his head, demoralized by his cousin's antics and looked at Tohru with his intense stare. "Come here, Miss Honda." Obeying immediately, Tohru shuffled over to his bed and waited for him to continue. "Could you please go into my bag and get out my needle set and the bottle marked Antibody's?" He watched the young student hesitantly rifle through his bag, confused on what she was looking for and offered her a bit of advice. "Just look for green jar." Tohru nodded and retrieved a small vial and case from the bag and slowly handed them to Hatori, who gentle retrieved them, thanking her. "You can use a needle?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but Tohru replied affirmatively anyway. "Y-yes, Yuki needed his vaccine so I decided to give it to him because you weren't around and Shigure asked me to…" Tohru was cut off from her unnecessary jabbering when Hatori halted her by turning away sharply with a violent cough. "Hatori, are you okay?" She laid a cautious but caring hand on his back and rubbed it to help him clear his throat and system. "Are you alright?" She repeated.

"Yes thank you." Hatori peered over his shoulder, looked Tohru sadly in the eye for a moment, before recomposing and adding, "Can you please inject me with the vaccine, please?" Tohru nodded a little bit too eagerly at the request, causing her to blush and Hatori to look away once again. Tohru looked down and thought that he thought that she was too childish now and was going to ask her to leave, but did the complete opposite and swung his legs over the bed and hunched his back more so she could see his scar more clearer. "Are you okay with this?" His question was devoid of emotion.

"Yes." Tohru gave the back of his head her best game face and carefully opened the needle case, plucking out the second needle from the right and closed it once more. Next, she delicately picked up the small vial filled with mysterious yellowy-green antigens as if it might break under her tender touch and flipped it upside down, stabbing the needle into the rubber top and siphoned out the liquid until it reached 30mL in the syringe barrel. Once it reached its target, Tohru spoke again. "Whe-where do I put it?"

Without a word, Hatori grabbed her hand; the smoothness of her skin instantly took him by surprise, and guided it towards his Lumber section of his spine, near his tailbone. Blushing madly from his sudden contact, Tohru became unsure of whether or not she was able to inject him with her shaking hands and squeaked nervously. "Can you do this?"

Nodded, Tohru replied, "Yes, just show me where to go." Hatori's lips curled faintly upwards at her courage and placed it hovering over the lower section of his stitches. "Okay." As he let her hand go and relaxed his shoulders, Tohru immediately steadied her grip and gently entered the needle's tip into Hatori's scarred flesh, watching it intently in case she accidently break it if she lost concentration. Withdrawing the needle carefully, noting the way Hatori began to sway gently, Tohru quickly placed the syringe on a rag she had found near her foot and grabbed both his shoulders to steady him.

"Thank you, Miss Honda, but I think I can manage sitting up now." He felt her hands withdraw from his bare shoulders and began to sit up, a little too quick for his body though. A sudden rush of dizziness took hold of Hatori's sense, numbing them, and caused him to lose his balance, his frame beginning to fall backwards onto the bed.

Quick to act, Tohru lurched forward, stabilizing his weight for a minute before pushing him smoothly sideways towards his pillow and leaving him on his side, careful to make sure his back didn't touch the mattress. Letting go, Tohru sprang off the bed and ran around it to lift up Hatori's feet which were dangling above the floor slightly. His socks slipped off easily and weren't emitting an odor as foul as Kyo's or Yuki's. Placing them neatly on the ground, she walked back to the head of the bed and knelt down next to Hatori. As she was halfway between kneeling and stand, Tohru noticed the dragon was gradually dozing off before he noticed her and flung his eyes back open. "Thank you."

The words sounded like an effort in Tohru's ears. She wanted to comfort the man who she knew had feelings as frozen as the glaciers, but as she began to reach out to brush the hair from his eyes, she froze and pulled back, hoping the Zodiac member hadn't noticed. She was wrong. The dragon saw the kind gesture and closed his eyes calmly, his thought lines slowly fading and the beginnings of a smile disappeared. "Sleep well, Hatori."

Gazing outside at the drifting snowflakes, Tohru made to grab the doona but faltered with pulling it over Hatori. Instead, she left it draped over his legs and rummaged though his medic bag guiltily. At last she had found what she was looking for and tentatively touched Hatori's waist, steadying herself on the bed before she gently rested a large bandage pad on his wound and taped it there with surgical tape. Then, she dragged the bedspread him, tucking him in, unconsciously brushing the hair out of his facing and knowing that he wouldn't feel or know of it. She was wrong again on two counts.

Shigure's ears pricked up as he heard Tohru leave his room with the clattering of porcelain to metal and the dull footsteps of her socked feet coming towards him. She acknowledged him with a wide smile and returned the tray and dishes to the kitchen, spending 20minutes on them before returning to the living area with a tea pot of tea and two mugs a top yet another tray. "Oh Tohru, you spoil me so much." Shigure placed his paper on the table and accepted one the full mugs with a bright grin. "So what did you two get up to in there?"

Tohru blushed and bent down, hiding her face with her bangs, and replied as straight as she could, "He just wanted me to inject him with a needle." Shigure began to open his mouth when she said 'inject' but closed it when he thought better of it. "So I did and now I'm here." She sipped her tea nervously.

"Did anything else happen? Did you do anything else to him?" Shigure sounded like a high school girl wanting the hottest gossip on a rival.

"Well, um, I only gave him his needle and then put a quilt on him. His forehead feels like it's on fire though. He was sweating a little too. Perhaps he has a fever from the infection?"

"Well, Tohru, he is our doctor, and if he says he is fine then we should take his word for it."

"But he said he was fine before, and now he's in your bed with an infection and a possible fever. Uh-no!" Tohru squealed. She leapt up from the table, ran towards the bathroom and turned on the water. A few moments later she returned from the bathroom carrying a wet flannel and a glass of water. "I should've given this to him before!" She yelped frantically.

Grabbing her waistline, Shigure dragged her to a halt and caressed a soothing hand on her cheek. "Tohru, it sounds like you're genuinely worried about Ha'ri; not that you're the first one." Shigure added the second part a little more softly than usual. "But trust me, if you get too close to him, he will probably push you away, so don't feel too let down if he grunts as a thanks."

"But Hatori does say thank you to me. And I do care about him; I care about everyone in the Zodiac." Feeling his grip loosen, Tohru stood up straight and walked calmly back towards Shigure's room to Hatori. She suppressed a gulp and entered the room which was surprisingly warm considering the heavy snowfall outside. He still lay seemingly peacefully under the covers but as she walked around the bed to look at him properly, Hatori's eyes were clenched tightly shut and his face was slick with sweat. Tohru smiled at him and bunched the towel in her hand into a ball, dabbing it on his cheeks, across his nose, down his chin and neck and rested it finally under his fringe. The flannel was then laid out flat across his bandaged forehead. Hatori tightened his eyes further in reaction of the cold contact but relaxed as Tohru soothed him by caressing his cheek with the back of her hand. "Are you better now Hatori?"

She knew it was a rhetorical question but thinking the doctor could hear her made her happy anyway. Tohru begun to speak of her day to Hatori and became more immersed in her one sided conversation with the sick dragon and forgot who she was with when she talked about her week. "Kyo bought me a sushi roll the other day. He seemed really happy to be eating with me but I guess he was just in a good mood. But he and Yuki have been getting along more lately; they don't ruin the house as much and only have small arguments. I hope it's not because of me." Tohru bit her thumb worriedly at the thought that Yuki and Kyo were fighting over her. "Also, Momiji came over again with Hatsuharu. They're both becoming really handsome, not that they weren't handsome before, I'm just saying that they are…never mind." She blushed.

In his mind as he heard Tohru sweet voice talk about the Zodiac teenagers and how she is coping with everyone, Hatori laughed. He didn't know why Tohru made him want to smile or laugh or do anything he wouldn't normally do, but when she was around, something inside him wanted to escape and become her friend; someone she could look up to. He knew he could never be those things if he continued to be cold and distant from everyone but he didn't know how to act differently since Kana. Even before her he was heartless; Hatori only concentrated on his job and the sick, not his life and health.

"What makes her so damn special?" Akito had asked him. Hatori had no answer for the God and only bowed his head as he kneeled on the floor. In his mind right now as he lay sick on Shigure's bed, Hatori asked the exact same question in his mind.

"Oh, I guess I'm rambling on a bit. You must be really tired. I'll leave you to sleep." Tohru made to get up and walked over to the window, opening it a fraction to cool the room and its occupant down. She didn't know that the sweat on his face was because of his unpredictably rising fever and not the temperature. "Good night, Hatori."

Hatori never once stirred from his slumber until the next morning. His body ached all over from lack of movement and his throat was parched. Feeling his left arm twitch under the pressure of his body, Hatori lifted himself and rolled onto his back to relieve the numb arm. "Hello?" His voice did even sound changed from his raw throat as he spoke. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the purple flannel that was once on his forehead slide down his face and on the pillow next to him. His back throbbed when he finally laid on it and immediately sat up. Hatori yawned away the groan he was going to shout and wiped the sleep from his eyes. Not being one to stay idle for long, and also being an early riser anyway, Hatori tentatively swung his legs from under the covers, settling them on the floor and stood.

The room swayed about as he stood and he took a moment to collect himself before sauntering over to the sliding door and towards the kitchen. His head began to pound with each footstep and was glad that the table was only three paces away or he may have fainted. "He-hello?" He asked uncertainly.

Tohru popped her head around the corner of the kitchen and went wide eye at the doctor. "H-Hatori! What are you doing up? You should still be in bed because it's not good for you to be up when you are sick! Are you okay? Do you want something to drink?"

"Please, Miss Honda, I am okay. My head is pounding though, so can you please make me some green tea."

Tohru bit her lip, embarrassed that her frantic high voice had obviously upset Hatori. "Would you like anything else?" She asked softer.

"Just the tea, please." Hatori watched Tohru leave and stared down at his chest, noticing for the first time that morning he didn't have a shirt on. Mumbling to himself, he said, "I put a shirt on, didn't I?" Finally concluding that he really was sick, Hatori wiped his brow and stood to depart for his room. Once he entered, Hatori immediately collapsed onto the bed, exhausted by his small journey, and closed his eyes, collecting himself through deep breathing. He rolled on his side to release the pressure on his back, knowing that he shouldn't have been lying on it in the first place, and stared at the wall. Hatori began to calm his muscle and aches and yawned. He tried to forget about all his worries, all his pains and all his duties whilst he meditated. In time, he fell asleep once again.

The soft knock at the door wasn't loud enough to disrupt the sleeping dragon, so Tohru slid the door open and walked in with Hatori's and her own tea. She carefully sat the mugs on the side table and shifted Hatori's legs so they were fully on the bed. The dragon stirred and opened his eyes, his body shifting. "Tohru." He exclaimed in a mumble.

"Don't worry." Tohru gave him one her sweet smiles and watched as he moved his head to rest on his outstretched arm that lay limp over the side of the bed and sigh in frustration. "I made you some tea." She said, trying to cheer him up.

Hatori closed his eyes for a short while before opening them anew; a calmer expression spreading across his face, although his frown was still etched his features. "I apologize for you seeing me like this. I did not hope to stay this sick for very long."

Hatori shivered against the breeze that escaped through the crack in his window. "Oh, I'm sorry. You seemed so hot last night that I opened the window. I hope you don't mind. I know it's snowing and all but I didn't think that would affect you because you seem to like the cold."

"Would you mind handing over my shirt please?" Hatori panted against his arm as he observed the girl in front of him collect his shirt and help him sit up. "Before I put that on, can you please inject another shot into me please?"

"Of course." Tohru retrieved the syringe and vial from his medical bag and carefully place a new needle into the barrel. "Ok, are you ready?" Hatori nodded. Tohru drew the serum from the bottle into the needle and injected it into Hatori's back. He inwardly hissed at the pain.

"Thank you, Miss Honda." Tohru nodded and smiled, noticing he had resorted back to calling her by her last name from before. Hatori looked over his shoulder as he placed his shirt back on and buttoned it up. "I won't be staying here for very long, but whilst I'm here, inject me twice a day with the vaccine." A cold sweat suddenly overwhelmed the doctor as he fastened the last button, rapidly becoming oversensitive to the warmth the shirt was giving him. He ripped it open in a rush; some of the buttons pulled loose from the shirt, and threw it to the floor like it was on fire.

"Hatori, what's wrong?" She never received an answer from the doctor. Hatori's sick form fell leisurely backwards onto her as he fainted but transformed before his body crashed into her. Tohru yelped in surprised and quickly picked up the unconscious seahorse. "Hatori!"

Thumps of two pairs of feet thudded above and across from her as Yuki and Shigure raced to see what was wrong. Shigure raced from his office to his bedroom and raced over the threshold towards Tohru which he saw was nursing a small object. Hatori was no where in sight. "Tohru, what happened? Did you bump him?" His chirpy voice faltered slightly but his lips curled upwards into a soft smile when he saw the unconscious seahorse in her hand. "He won't be able to get better like that with you holding him and all."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do with him. He transformed before her crashed into me." Shigure frowned, slightly worried, but didn't let it deter him for very long. "I thought he was getting better with the vaccine." Shigure shrugged and he looked over to see Yuki leaning heavily against the door, his chest heaving from his race from upstairs to there. "Where should I put him?"

"I'll run the bath and you can put him in it when the waters good." Shigure stood with Tohru. She held the tiny seahorse close to her as if she were holding a priceless jewel. "Usually when we transform under stress, we don't change back for a day or so, but considering Hatori transformed, he must be under a great deal of stress. He may not change back for a long while."

"How come he doesn't change as easily as the other Zodiacs?"

Shigure laughed and replied as he left the room towards the bathroom. Tohru quickly snatched up Hatori's clothes and followed. "It's because he's the dragon." Tohru cocked her head to the side, confused but interested. "The dragon, according to our history, was the protector and was very immune to transforming under stress, that's why Hatori can work himself ragged and not change. Too bad though now. He's as useless as Ritsu."

Tohru gasped. "Ritsu's not useless!" Tohru lowered her voice. "He just hasn't found who he is yet."

Shigure laughed and agreed. "I guess you're right. But right now Ha'ri's as useless as current Ritsu." He ignored Tohru shocked face and continued their venture to the bathroom. Once his feet connected with the cold tiled floor of the bathroom, Shigure giggled. "Ah, the floor is cold." After his musing of the floor, Shigure went to work to draw up a warm bath for Hatori. Tohru also had to poke him in the back to get him moving because he was in her way. As the water hit the halfway mark in the bath, the dog watched Tohru caringly place Hatori's seahorse form into the lukewarm water. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

The schoolgirl blushed that Shigure noticed her loving concern for the sick dragon and continued to look at the seahorse that was lazily floating near the waters edge, fearing that Shigure would make fun of her red face. "Shouldn't we put something in there for him to hold on to?"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw on a nature show that seahorses spend most of their time clinging to seaweed; so shouldn't Hatori be holding on to something?"

Shigure gave Tohru one of his amused smiles and laughed. "Tohru, Hatori's not a real seahorse. He doesn't really need something to cling to because he's going to transform back in a few days, but if it'll make you feel better, hook him around the plug's ring." He turned to leave but had to exit with a jib. "Besides, seahorses only really need to hold on to reeds so they don't float away against the current. Make waves for Ha'ri."

The water licked her fingers as Tohru reached slowly into the tub to pick up Hatori's sleeping form and gently uncurled his tail. She noticed that his spiny body was incredibly smooth and slimy and absentmindedly stroked down his body with her thumb as she hooked his tail around the plug ring. In his slumber, Hatori felt something caress his scales. He vibrated his tail excitedly, which was noticed by his captor, and sensed the rubbing stop. He stopped his daydreaming tail from wagging and returned back to his deep sleep.

Tohru embarrassedly laughed at what her stroking was doing to Hatori's tail and let go of him, observing how his tail instinctively wrapped slowly around the ring. She knelt next to the bath, not moving to get up for over an hour, and just watched the seahorse sway against the soft currents she was making trailing her two forefingers slowly underwater around him. "Are you hungry?" She didn't expect an answer from the little dragon, so she made to stand.

"Tohru…" A deep gurgled voice replied. Tohru jumped at the sound and peered over the tubs rim at Hatori. He was gradually uncurling his tail and drifting to the surface; his head on a slant so he could see Tohru better. "…could you…please leave?"

"Uh, uh, would you like something to eat?" Hatori's answer was a quick and sharp 'no', but his attempt to be polite about it was as weak as his form and he was unsure as to whether or not Tohru would pick up on the courtesy in his voice. "Um, okay. I'll go tell Shigure you're awake."

Before Hatori could scream for her to not call in his friends, Tohru left, her dark chocolate hair swaying behind her. "Oh, Shigure." Hatori heard her exclaim. "Hatori's awake if you would like to see him." There was a pause and Hatori tensed to hear what else she was saying. "Is Ayame coming around today?"

"Oh, Aya won't be coming here today or tomorrow to see Ha'ri. He's got a fairly large order of clothes from some business man." The dragon let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and sunk back down to the bottom of the bath, rehooking his tail around the plug and glad that the boisterous snake that adored him so was not around to give him more of a headache. "I might go see how Ha'ri's going now. Thank you, Tohru."

Hatori tried to pull out the plug with all his might so he wouldn't have to endure the crude comments about his Zodiac from Shigure and just sink away into the ocean. "Oh, Hatori!" Shigure chimed walking through the hall as if in look for a lover. "Ah Ha'ri, I found you." His satisfied tone made Hatori release the bathplug and swim up, his snout breaking through the waters surface. The dog crouched down onto his knees and rested his arms and chin on the bath rim. "So, whatcha doing?"

Hatori rolled his beady coal eyes and replied in his usual harsh voice, "What do you want Shigure?"

"You hurt me again, Haa-san. I come to my own bathroom to visit a sick friend and all I get in return is rudeness. I have half a mind to just walk up and leave."

Being a seahorse did not affect Hatori's sense of hearing, so Hatori decided to play with Shigure and respond with a jest of his own. "Considering you do have half a brain, maybe you should leave." Not a single muscle betrayed his serious scaly face.

Shigure laughed and tapped his head. "But I usually use that half to stay with sick friends, so I think might do so." Against Hatori's strongest wishes, will and mentality, Shigure pick him up. "Ha'ri," He whispered softly, "you're looking terrible, even in your Zodiac form." Hatori rolled his eyes and squirmed in his hand. "Oh, you're a fighter." Shigure pressed his finger teasingly against the seahorse's body, a weight against his fidgety body. The finger moved across the dragon's side and down his bumpy spin towards the small scar that invaded the Lumbar section above Hatori's tail. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I thought it would be obvious even to you."

"Tohru told me you transformed before you touched her. But you're pretty strong, though. The fact you're talking to me is probably a big strain for you, isn't it?" Hatori averted his eye as an answer. He would never admit, even to his closest friend, that he was at his worst. Shigure giggled. "Maybe it's Tohru."

Hatori looked back at his cousin with a faintly surprised look. The fact that Shigure assumed Tohru was his medication rather than his vaccine was a ridiculous, a farfetched assumption; but for some reason, Hatori couldn't bring himself to admit otherwise. "Why do you say that, Shigure?" The sea dragon scowled.

Shigure sniggered and placed Hatori back into the warm water. Hatori drifted down to the bottom of the tub once more and closed his eyes, resting them for the time being. "Are you sure you're okay, Haa-san?" The small snout of the water horse bowed down. Shigure warmly smiled at his now asleep friend and stood. "I know it's true, Ha'ri. You love my Tohru." As sly as his voice, Shigure slipped quietly out of the bathroom.

Happily trotting down the hallway and into the kitchen where he smelt Tohru cooking dinner for the household minus Hatori.

A week passed and Tohru was glad to find that Hatori was slightly more active. He had been moping around the bathplug all week and had finally released his hold and had a proper talk with Tohru just the other day. They spoke about her day and how her school was going, if Kyou was giving her a hard time and about her past. Never once Tohru asked him about his family or the main house, fearing it might upset him.

One drizzly Saturday afternoon, the young schoolgirl decided to give her homework a rest and visit the sick doctor in the bathtub upstairs. She padded quietly upstairs and into the bathroom, careful not to wake the dragon if he was asleep. As she reached the rim of the tub and peered over, the snout of the little seahorse poked itself above the waterline. "Good afternoon, Hatori."

"Good afternoon, Miss Honda." Even though Tohru insisted he call her by her first name Hatori would not. "What brings you here?"

"I-I just thought you might be a bit hungry so I brought you something to it. B-but if you're not hungry, that's okay. I should have asked if you wanted something to eat before assuming you were hungry. Oh no, I'm sorry." She heard Hatori blow bubbles as a sigh and told her that she needn't worry because he felt a little ravenous. Immediately Tohru picked up the plate that was filled with tomato and avocado toast sandwiches that had been cut into miniature sizes to accommodate Hatori's small form and placed them on the rim of the bath. "Can I pick you up again?"

She had been given permission to pick up the small water horse on several occasion but each time she asked him very politely. Hatori nodded. Gently, with almost a feather-like touch, Tohru scooped Hatori out of the bath and let him eat whilst still cupped between her hands. Throughout his meal, Tohru unconsciously ran circles around Hatori's belly and excited the dragon. He vibrated his tail against his will against Tohru's palm but continued to munch as if it wasn't happening.

Taking in a few left crumbs, Hatori swallowed and averted his back up to his wielder whom was still caressing his scales. For the first time Hatori felt what she was doing and grew wide-eyed at what he was doing back. He stopped his naughty tail and asked softly to be put back into the water. "Thank you, Miss Honda."

"Please, call me Toh…"

BANG!

Smoke fogged up the bathroom and the seahorse that once occupied the bath had transformed back into the young doctor it once was, but in the nude. The schoolgirl yelped in surprise and quickly turned away before she could see anymore of his weakly toned body. She blushed at the thought of his body and continued to stare at the wall in front. "Miss Honda…"

Tohru cut in civilly. "Please, I said you could call me Tohru." Unfortunately, her mother had taught her to speak face to face with people and never away from them, so poor little Tohru turned around to look at Hatori, whom was on his knees in the bath dripping wet. Her face turned another 4 shades of red but she couldn't avert her eyes. He just looked at her with a shocked but stern gaze. He cleared his throat and Tohru turned at the sound. "I-I-I'm s-so s-s-s-sorry!"

Hatori lowered his head slightly in shame and the rest to hide embarrassment. Sliding down a towel slowly, his arms feeling like lead, and wrapping it around his waist, Hatori stood, stepped out of the bath and rested a hand on Tohru's shoulder who shuddered at the closeness. "Thank you, Tohru."

Her name sounded like verbal honey in his mouth and he clenched his hand slightly firmer on his shoulder. In reaction, the said girl turned slowly in the dragons grip and looked up at him. She was so tempted to hug him again but he looked extremely tired and withdrawn from the world, but instead took his free hand in her own and lifted it up so their hands were still at their sides, but at her head level. She intertwined her fingers in his and smiled amiably. In return, Hatori shifted his eyes quizzingly at his hand in her warm on and back at Tohru.

He never spoke.

He never let go.

He just smiled.

Other Stuff: This is probably my longest one-shot yet, so I hope you all enjoyed and please review. Critism, praise and random comments are all welcome! Thanks