Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Summary: Hatori Sohma was just a regular doctor with a regular life, but he refrained from falling in love after the death of his fiancée. But with the arrival of the new nurse Tohru, he starts to realize that love can exist after tragedy. Toriru, AU

This is my counter to all the Kyoru and Yukiru fics out there! Although I like Yukiru and Kyoru as much as the next person, I wanted to see Tohru paired up with someone different for a change. And for some reason, I've always been fond of this pairing...I really don't know why, though. And I really don't know if it's called Toriru or not, but I've heard variations of the pairing name, and I just like the name "Toriru" the best.

Um, I'm also reducing the age gap between Hatori and Tohru. Here's there ages for this fic:

Hatori - 27
Tohru - 24

That's the beauty of fanfiction and alternate universes. Ages are whatever you choose them to be! Haha!

So, here's the fic! I hope you enjoy it!


Picking Up The Pieces
Chapter One: Hello, Doctor


The cold, dark eyes of Doctor Hatori Sohma scanned the chart of a patient in his hands. He ran a hand through his jet black hair, tangling his fingers in the dark strands. He sat at his desk, carefully reading and re-reading over this chart of information. His white coat was draped loosely on the back of his chair. Although it was his break time, his stethoscope hung limply from around his pale neck. Sighing in exasperation, he threw the file on his desk, flapping a few extra papers out of the way and onto the carpeted floor of his office. He glared down at the file and started drumming his fingers on the mahogany wood of his desk. He read the name of the person on the file.

Yuki Sohma.

His own relative was under his care. How strange.

Hatori thumbed through the papers, reading his patient's former health history. Has asthma attacks often. That's probably what's wrong with him. But, it wouldn't hurt to do a few tests just to make sure.

The strangeness of Yuki coming to him for help was uncomparable to him. Yuki just arrived here today, panting, wheezing, demanding to see him. Yuki had never once came to Hatori's workplace before...well, not until now, that is.

The dark haired man realized his break was over. Hatori lowered his spectacles from his face and sat them onto his desk, not bothering to put them back in their proper place. He rose from his seat and grabbed his white coat, slipping it on as he grabbed his relative's file. He had to go see his new patient in the next room.

As he walked down the hall, a chill went down his spine. Dismissing it to be just the natural coldness of the hospital, he continued down the passage and down toward room A-5. His black shoes made a slight clinking noise as he walked down the tiled hallway and into the room where Yuki rested, waiting for his diagnosis with a glint resting deep within his violet orbs.

"Hello, Doctor Hatori." The man spoke, giving the doctor a sly smirk.

"Good afternoon," Hatori tried to act as if Yuki was any other patient and not his relative. "How is everything?"

"It's been good." Yuki gave yet another smile. "I mean, I've been having the usual chest pains every now and then, but that's usual when you have asthma, ne?"

"Yes...I suppose so." Hatori replied, looking down at his chart and studying it even more than he already had in the past couple of minutes. Squinting, he touched his chest pocket and sighed, aggravated.

"Forget something?"

"Just my glasses." Hatori said simply, ignoring it. "I'll just have to do without them, won't I?" He sent a slightly warm smile in Yuki's direction.

"Guess so." Yuki shrugged, then returned the dark haired man's kind gesture.

Removing the stethoscope from his neck, he put the earpieces into his ears and put the round piece of metal on the end to Yuki's chest. "Breathe deep." He said. Yuki did so, and Hatori listened intently for signs of anything remotely troubling. He removed the earpieces and slung the stethoscope casually over his shoulder. "You have nothing wrong with you." He stated bluntly.

Yuki let out a slight laugh. "Eh..."

"What is the problem?"

"It's just..." Yuki began to stutter. "I...my friend, she..."

"Oh, out with it." Hatori was growing impatient.

"There's this girl who I know from my school. She just graduated from nursing school a while ago, and she's looking for a job..."

"Oh, great." Hatori headed for the door.

"Wait! Hatori, before you dismiss this as another nurse who's seen pictures of you and wants to get in your pants, think again!" Hatori cringed at the words 'get into your pants.'

"Fine. I'll hear you out this time..." Hatori reluctantly sat down in his chair in front of Yuki, who was sitting on the patient's examination table.

Yuki smiled over at him and continued. "I'm just saying that she really needs a job and that...it would be nice of you if you would at least interview her and see what she's like before you go on judging her like you have past nurses that wished to work with you and were turned down, rather cruelly, I might add."

Hatori quirked an eyebrow. "And how do you know they were rejected cruelly?"

"Shigure."

The doctor rolled his eyes, "Typical."

Yuki jumped off from the examination table and stretched his weary limbs while yawning, "So, what do you have to say about it?"

"About what?"

Yuki rolled his eyes, "Don't play dumb. It doesn't flatter you."

Hatori sighed, "Fine. I guess I'll interview her. When is a good time?"

"Um...tomorrow," Yuki smiled slightly as he headed for the door. "At around three in the afternoon...is that good for you?"

The dark haired man nodded, "Yes, that's fine." He rose from his seat as Yuki turned the doorknob. "I can probably push back a few appointments."

As Yuki stepped out the door, his violet orbs glinted, "Oh, yeah, Hatori?"

"What is it now?"

"Thanks."


Hatori kicked off his shoes by the door at around ten o'clock that night when he finally got home. He hung his coat on the coat rack that was also by the door, and made his way into his room. He opened the towel closet and got out a face cloth and a regular, full-length towel. Hatori then pulled out his drawer and brought out a pair of navy blue pajama pants and a pair of boxers. He then walked into the bathroom that was connected to his room and turned on the showerhead.

He undressed and stepped in, savoring the feeling of the hot water on his aching muscles and neck. The water trickled down his face, his chin, and down his chest and legs, where it finally pooled around his feet and was washed down the drain.

He lathered the soap on his body, then rinsed it off. Hatori then washed his hair, using the proper amount of shampoo and conditioner.

After spending more time in the shower than he ever had, simply trying to relax, he turned off the water and reluctantly left the soothing bath. He dried off and put on his boxers and pants. Then, as he towel-dried his hair, he walked over to the desk in his room, where his computer was, and sat down, turning on the computer.

He logged in to his email and sighed when he saw that he had one new message. Clicking on it, he said to himself, "This better not be another junk mail..."

But it wasn't a junk mail, it was an email from the man who had seen him earlier that day, Yuki Sohma. He clicked again and the message popped up on the screen.

Hatori, here's some info about the girl I was telling you about earlier today. I'm sure one of your assistants will give you her file tomorrow before you interview her, but I just decided to give you the basics:

Name: Tohru Honda

"Tohru...?" Hatori mumbled slightly. Wasn't Tohru a boy's name? Well, it was certainly better than the share of "Kitty's", "Sakura's", and "Michelle's" that he had previously interviewed before. He swore that the most of the population of Japan was made up of women named Sakura, who were natives, people who were named Kitty or Neko, which was just a nickname, and Americans named Michelle or Samantha or Danielle... The name Tohru was a breath of fresh air compared to the other over-used names.

Age: 24

Occupation: Nurse

"Well, I knew she was a nurse," Hatori resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Blue

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 124 lbs.

"How is Yuki getting all of this information?" Hatori sighed, rubbing his temples in aggravation. "It's kinda weird how he knows all of this about this Tohru girl..."

Bust: ...Hatori, you pervert, did you really think I'd let you in on that?

The dark haired man felt his face turn a dark shade of crimson. "Damn, Yuki...you and your stupid..." He trailed off, scrolling down to read more.

Well, that's just the essentials. Um...I really can't think of anything else except that she's very fond of the color pink. You'll learn more in her file.

Sayonara, Hatori!

Hatori grumbled something under his breath and logged out. "You'd almost think he was his brother..." He smiled bitterly as he turned off the computer and walked over to his bed, turning back the covers. He tossed the towel that had been resting on his head onto the chair that sat next to his bed and crawled under the covers.

Rolling over on his side, he sighed when he glanced over at the photograph of a woman, just a few years younger than him, smiling back at him. Her brown hair swayed in the breeze, eyes sparkled, eyes closed in a bright smile, forever captured in that moment in time. Her large, floppy yellow hat was resting loosely on her head, the same color sun dress was billowing in the breeze behind her. He could vaguely see the waves of the ocean crashing behind her, and sun was peeking in through the corner of the picture.

"Kana..." Hatori murmured, smiling bitterly, as sleep claimed him.


"Kana!"

He reached out to her. It was too late. She had not seen it coming. The car. It zoomed toward her without remorse, hitting the frail woman's form, sending her flying. Her small body connected with the cement, blood flowed everywhere. Down the road, down the street, onto his clothes as he picked her up, raising her head level with his chest.

"Kana...no..."

Hatori cradled the dying woman in his arms, her head against his strong chest. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Who would do such a thing...such a thing to ruin...to ruin everything?

His cries grew more desperate. "Kana! Kana!"

The life giving crimson fluid was leaking onto his shirt, onto his pale skin, staining it scarlet.

Her heartbeat was slowing.

Her eyes were closing.

Her breath was shallow.

"Hatori...kun..." She said, her voice a raspy whisper. Her fingers clenched onto the fabric of his shirt tightly, as if trying to hold onto life itself.

"Kana..." Hatori's voice was low, mournful.

"I'm...sorry..."

Kana's grip on his shirt grew slack.

And he knew she was gone.

"KANA!"


Dark eyes snapped open. Hatori shot up from his bed, his bare back and forehead slick from sweat. That dream...he hadn't had one that intense in a while. Rising from the bed, he walked to the door and opened it.

He walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where he got a glass of water. He gulped it down, and refilled it. Hatori quickly downed the second glass. His throat was dry and needed to be quenched.

He padded into the living room with the glass in hand and stared at the urn on the mantel. Ashes rested in that sacred pot. Not just any ashes, his dear Kana's ashes. The urn was made of delicate china, decorated with blue tulips and pure white lilies, her favorite flower. It sat there, ever since Kana's death, only a year ago.

A slightly bitter smile graced his features as he glanced at the clock, "Three fifty-nine...nice..."

A minute later he heard his alarm sound in his bedroom, waking him for work...but it needn't have bothered...


"Haa-san?" A voice said as a man with black hair peeked in through the crack of the door in Hatori's office. "Haa-san, are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Shigure." Hatori said simply. "I'm actually surprised that you'd visit me...especially since I'm about to do a job interview with some girl."

"Oh, the one Yuki-kun has been talking about?" Shigure asked, smiling brightly, "She's a very kind woman, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah...from what he tells me, she's not like the others we've have previously interviewed for a job here."

"He means that she doesn't want to get into your pants."

"I hate it when people use that phrase."

"I know. That's why I use it."

Hatori rolled his eyes. "Shigure, you should leave...she could be here any minute, and I don't want her to feel like she's imposing on anything."

Shigure pouted, but then smiled, "I understand, Haa-san!" He smiled and walked toward the door, wrapping his slender fingers around the knob, he said, "Good luck, tiger!" and gave a wink. With that, he was gone.

Ugh...Shigure... Hatori thought, resisting the unbearable urge to roll his eyes once again.

A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.

It must be her. Hatori concluded, raising his head slightly, so his dark eyes were level with the door. "Come in."

The knob of the door twisted and the door was pushed open slowly, somewhat shyly. Hatori's gaze was met with the most stunning, innocent pair of azure blue eyes he had ever seen. She didn't speak at first, and her cheeks were stained with the beginnings of a blush. She seemed quite timid, but soon, her mouth formed words. She smiled brightly, clasping her hands together around her waist.

"I'm Tohru Honda."


End Chapter One.

Yeah, I know. What a crappy place to leave off! But this is just the first, awkward chapter, so I have a right to leave off at a crappy place! Heh, whatever. I'm sorry if this chapter seemed kind of rushed or anything. Which, I hope that doesn't bother anyone.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. And this is probably going to be my last new fic for a while, simply because I have other stories to work on. I realize that Yuki may seem a little OOC in this chapter, but I didn't mean to make him that way. I'm just used to a little OOC Yuki because of my other Fruits Basket fic.

More characters will appear as the chapters progress. And there will be KyoUo, cause I love it, and maybe HaruHana. I'm not sure who to pair Yuki up with yet. Maybe Kagura? I have no clue.

I'm rambling. Please review! It will be very much appreciated!