(This story is based on the anime- not the manga. So Akito is a boy and Mayuko doesn't exist. I apologise to manga fans for the inconvenience, but I hope you'll read it anyway).
Prologue: A curse revealed, a bond never to break
"Uh, Sohma-sama," Said the receptionist poked her head around the door, looking worried.
Hatori looked up. "What is it, Suoh-san?"
"There are some people here to see you."
"Is it about Akito?"
She shook her head. "No…um, it's about…well, they look like they're from out of town," She lowered her voice. "I think that they're the Kunisada family from Tokyo. The mob gang. They've all got the blue butterfly tattoo."
Hatori shuffled his papers into place. "Send them in. I'll hear them out."
"Are you sure, Sohma-sama…?"
"Yes."
"Uh, well, if you say so…"
As she scurried off down the hall, Hatori felt his gaze move to the window. It was early September, into the heart of autumn.
Maybe it would snow this year…
"Sohma-san," Said a gruff voice at the door and he turned to encounter a picture-perfect gang boss standing there, flanked by two rough-looking men. His eyes narrowed.
"Hello. Can I help you?"
"I'm Kunisada of the Kunisada Conglomerate," The gruff man explained shortly. "I think you can assist me with something."
"And what might that be, Kunisada-san?"
To Hatori's surprise, the gang boss was on the floor, grovelling. "Please, Hatori-san! I need you to help my daughter!"
Hatori blinked. "And how might I do that, Kunisada-san?"
"You treat Akito Sohma, don't you? The boy who can't exert himself because of his delicate health," Kunisada said, his voice small. "Well my daughter, Kaori Kunisada, heiress to the Kunisada name, has a delicate condition also. She can still go outside, but when she overexerts herself she has trouble breathing and terrible asthma attacks…"
"You want me to include your daughter in my practice too?" Hatori said doubtfully.
"Yes. Seeing as you're especially skilled in this area then it's the obvious choice. If it's a question of money then I'll pay you double your asking price for the Sohmas."
"I'm afraid it's not a question of money, Kunisada-san, it's a question of time. Treating a girl in such a state would take my time away to be exclusively devoted to the Sohmas."
"Hatori-san," Kunisada said grimly. "With all due respect, if you do not treat my daughter then she will die. Do you want that guilt on both our shoulders?"
Hatori paused and looked out of the window. Golden, brown and red leaves were falling from the trees outside his practice. He could find no comfort in it- this world just kept going around and around…with no one there to stop this monotony.
"Very well," Hatori said finally. "I'll treat her once I assess her condition- if I find it to be serious then I'll take her on. If not, I'll see if I can recommend another clinic."
"Thank you," Said Kunisada gruffly, wiping his eyes. "You won't regret it, doc, she's a great girl."
"I'm sure she is," Said Hatori with a bland smile.
xxx
"Oh man," Kaori sighed, staring at the test in her hands. "Another D."
"Hey, Kaori, I gotta A!" Her friend Hikari beamed, skipping over to her desk. "Wow, it's such a relief to know I'm all set as far as Science is concerned."
"Yeah. Must be." Kaori muttered.
Takuma put his head on her desk. "Let me guess...D?"
Kaori sank lower in her seat. "Perhaps."
"Poor girl."
Kaori took a deep breath, and then beamed. "Nah. I always knew I was no good at Science anyway. No biggie."
Hikari looked worried. "You sure? Your parents might be mad."
"Nope. Dad's okay with this kind of thing...uh, pretty much." Kaori broke herself up with a fit of coughing. She stuck her hand in her desk and snatched up her asthma pump.
Takuma regarded her gravely as she inhaled. "They're more constant now."
Kaori laughed and shrugged, feeling a little shaky. "I'm okay! I'm okay!"
The bell rang and they all looked up at the clock in unison.
"Great." Takuma sighed, adjusting his glasses over his dark eyes. "I'm not looking forward to helping dad with the business tonight."
Hikari groaned. "Ugh! I have tea ceremony class!"
Kaori made a face. "Dad's set me up to go to some clinic in the middle of nowhere."
"Have fun."
"Will do."
Kaede Private School was a facility to teach children from prominent families, sons and daughters of oil barons, tycoons, old money families, lords and (in Kaori's case) mob gang heirs.
Now the entrance to the school was crowded over with kids in the black and blue striped uniforms, chatting excitedly.
Kaori noticed with a sigh that people still kind of avoided her, although it wasn't as bad as before. It was because the Kunisada conglomerate was still known to be involved with what could be described as a 'bad crowd'.
Drug dealers, murderers and the like.
Kaori herself took after her mother with looks. Her mother had had green eyes the colour of spring grass as well.
Strong eyes.
Her father had always told her that her eyes were the best part of her (although he had hastily added that all of her was beautiful too). Her small, elfin frame was something to be considered- despite all the junk food she ate.
Kaori's long black hair was a little dull, but her smile was the thing that attracted people to her. Usually it was a huge cheesy grin, sometimes a gentle look of encouragement often accompanied by a silly wink.
Not a beauty, not by many standards- but she was...uplifting to look at. Strong and proud.
Kaori didn't let the fact that she had bad health get her down. She was still in the kendo club after all.
Outside, Takeya, her chauffer was there to pick her up. "How was your day at school, Kaori?" He asked. (Having chauffeured her for more than ten years, the 'sama' had soon dropped).
"Fine." Kaori sighed. "Only two Cs and a D in tests today. Yay."
Takeya sighed. "Sometimes I think your onii-chan got all the brains."
Kaori glared at him. "Shut up, would ya? It was a tough day."
By her onii-chan he meant the kid wonder, Kaoru Kunisada, Kaori's little eight-year-old brother. The kid was only in elementary and yet his teachers wanted to move him into high school already.
Kaori's three-year-old sister, Kagome, was a lot more likeable.
Kaori stared out of the tinted windows of the car and rested her head against it.
A new doctor, huh? Not again.
Maybe it would just be better to not bother. She was going to die early anyway...
Kaori blinked and shook her head. Wow, someone was feeling morbid.
She glanced out of the window again to see a normal school, she spotted three people in particular who seemed to stand out from the crowd. A girl with long brown hair and a cheerful smile, a boy with big violet eyes and some guy with red eyes and red hair. He looked like he was yelling something at Violet Eyes.
Those are normal, healthy people. She thought.
Lucky them, I guess.
The car was reaching further and further out of town and Kaori closed her eyes, concentrating on the hum of the air conditioner.
It wasn't even that hot outside. It was September after all.
Maybe it would snow just like last year.
"We're here, Kaori."
Kaori opened the car door and pulled herself outside in a kind of daze. Her feet found gravel and she looked up at the wild network of houses.
Her eyes widened. "This place is like a village!"
"Hey!" A small boy with curly blonde hair bounded towards them, smiling. "Are you Kaori-chan?"
Kaori blinked, then nodded. He's so cute...
"Oh, hi! I'm Momiji Sohma."
"Nice to meet you." Kaori grinned. "Do you know where Hatori Sohma's practice is?"
"Yup!" Momiji looked at Takeya. "I can show her where to go from here."
"Well, okay, if you're sure," Takeya sighed. "Be careful. She once got lost in her own garden."
Kaori shot a glare at him. Just how many times was he planning to bring that up?!
Momiji laughed. "It's fine! I'm good at directions."
Takeya nodded. "Okay then. Bye, Kaori."
"Bye." Kaori snapped.
Momiji turned and begun leading her deeper into the mini village of the Sohma house. "I guess your Hari's new patient."
"Well, I hope so," Said Kaori. "I still don't know whether he'll take me on."
"Oh I think he will." Said Momiji, smiling. "He's a nice person, you know?"
Kaori sighed. "I hope so."
The clinic was quite big and old-fashioned when she saw it and Kaori followed Momiji towards the door and peered in.
There, sitting at the desk was one of the most handsome guys she's ever seen.
Of course, she quickly reminded herself. He's in his twenties and I'm sixteen. But he honestly was what Hikari would call 'a hottie'.
Dark hair covered his left eye completely, but he could see the other one was a kind of dark green. His gaze was steady as he looked up to see Kaori. "You must be Kaori Kunisada."
"Uh, yeah. That's me!" Said Kaori, bounding forward, looking a bit like she wanted a prize for this fact.
"In that case, please take a seat," Hatori looked at Momiji. "You can go, Momiji."
"Aw, can't I stay and watch?"
"No."
Momiji sighed, but then waved at Kaori. "Don't let Hari get to you, Kaori- he's always like this!"
"That'll be all, Momiji," Hatori said, his back to both of them as he studied Kaori's health report.
Momiji gave one last wave before bounding off.
"He's cute," Kaori commented.
"Yes." Said Hatori absently. "Now, Kaori-san, I've looked at your health record and it's quite a serious and advanced condition."
Kaori made a face. "I guess so."
"And yet, your father tells me you're still in the kendo club at your school."
"Yep!" Kaori beamed. "I'm pretty good too."
Hatori looked disapproving. "You definitely shouldn't be pushing your body to do sports."
"Oh, I'll be fine."
"Forgive me for being blunt, but I think you should quit."
Kaori smiled. "I'm not going to."
Hatori looked at her for a few seconds then sighed. "I can't make you do anything of course, but I don't know how you expect me to help you if you're not going to help yourself get better."
"But I'll never get better, right?" Kaori said gently. "It's fine. You can tell me. I know I won't anyway."
"There is a slim chance you'll fully recover," Conceded Hatori.
Kaori blinked. No doctor had ever given it to her as straight as that before.
She had to admit, it was a bit scary to actually have someone agree with her that she'd never be able to be normal because of her illness.
"According to this report," Continued Hatori. "You suffer from constant asthma attacks, dizziness, faintness and temporary loss of vision."
"Yeah," Admitted Kaori.
"Of course, my first piece of advice for you is to quit the kendo club...but I doubt you will."
"I'm sorry," Said Kaori.
"Don't apologise to me. It's not my life you're shortening," Hatori went over to the desk and began writing. "I can give you better medication for you asthma pump, maybe pills too. However, I doubt you can avoid the dizziness or faintness if you don't slow your body down."
"Oh, I'll be fine."
"Well then, I can recommend you to a clinic which-"
"Wait!" Kaori started. "You're not going to become my doctor?!"
"Well, no," Said Hatori. "I'm afraid that I can't help you beyond medicine if you don't take my advice. I won't force you into anything."
"But, I...I don't want another doctor!" Kaori cried, her breath coming fast.
Why was she becoming so het up? Over this thing? She had had loads of doctors in her life- what made this one special?
All she knew was that she didn't want another doctor.
She wanted him.
How stupid... She thought. When you don't even know him.
"I-!" Kaori began again, but this time her lungs contracted and she descended into a fit of helpless coughing.
"Careful!" Hatori ran over to her side as she collapsed to her knees, her hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "Don't overdo it!"
Kaori reached past him and scrabbled in her school bag for her asthma pump. She inhaled in it hurriedly, her lungs felt like they were being strangled.
"S-sorry!" She choked as the room rushed past her eyes in a hypnotic blur.
Dizziness overcame her and she slumped back into Hatori.
It was as if he suddenly became air as she felt his weight disappear and she caught herself on her hands before she fell. "Ugh, sorry, sorry! I'm really-"
Then she stared at the creature on the floor before her, lying on a nest of clothes.
A seahorse.
Kaori stared at the seahorse for a number of seconds, then reached out and poked the seahorse gently.
The small beady eyes looked at her balefully.
Oh God.
"Oh my God! I've turned my doctor into a seahorse!" Kaori realised, horrified. "That's never happened before!"
Then another thought sprang to mind.
Water.
Seahorses needed water to survive so maybe that meant that doctors who had been turned into seahorses might also need water!
"Oh God, oh God, oh God..." Kaori scooped the seahorse doctor and the discarded clothes up in her hands and ran out of the clinic, trying to find a bathroom or something. It was almost an involuntary reaction- call it a gut instinct.
She fled deep into the Sohma complex and slammed into a small bathroom, passing several bemused-looking people in kimonos on the way.
Her hand raced over the tap and she created a hot steam of water, still balancing her seahorse doctor in the palm of her hand.
What did they do to people who had mercilessly turned their doctors into seahorses?
Maybe she'd be dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and taken to the Secret Sohma Court (the SSC for short, of course) and she'd be tried by a giant seahorse wearing a white powdered wig and she'd be thrown into a well like Samara from The Ring.
Or something like that anyway. She needed room open to consider the options.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" She kept gasping as she ran the water (adding cold just in case seahorses lived in cold water-which they probably did).
Finally she flung him in the tub and watched him anxiously.
If a seahorse's glare could kill someone...well, you get the picture.
"I'm so sorry!" Kaori explained to the seahorse. "You see, I just kind of fell over and now you're a seahorse! I swear, nothing like this has ever happened before! If I'd have known that I could turn people into seahorses then I-"
Poof!
The air misted suddenly, blurring Kaori's vision. A hand shot out and snatched the clothes from her arms.
"Oh my God!" Squealed Kaori. "A bath ghost!"
"I'd suggest you get out of here before the mist clears," Said Hatori.
Kaori could almost see him now-
She went red and shut the door behind her as she flung herself out of the room as if throwing herself out of a moving vehicle.
And no, she hadn't seen anything below the belt, but she had seen him shirtless.
Kaori's mind wandered, as a hormonal teenage girl's mind does.
She had to admit, her doctor had a nice body. Chiselled and perfect as if he was a statue. Muscled, but not brawny and slender but not too thin...
Okay, girl! He is in his twenties and you are sixteen and have been for a minimum of two months!
So STOP FANTASIZING!
"About what?" Said Hatori.
Kaori stiffened. "Did I just think out loud?"
"It appears so."
She attempted a laugh. "Aw, gee, I am always doing that!"
Hatori didn't look terribly amused at her 'shucks, ain't I a silly-billy?' production. "So now," He looked grim. "I suppose you know."
"Yeah," Said Kaori grimly. "I have magical powers."
Hatori glared at her. "You don't know at all, do you?"
"Huh?" Kaori looked up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her- she was only 5 foot 5 inches and he...
"It's best you don't know anyway," He put his hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry."
"W-what are you doing?"
"Just stand still,"
"No!" Kaori leapt away.
Hatori looked at her sadly. "It's best to get it over and done with."
"No! Go away! You're going to do something mean, aren't you?"
"Kaori," Hatori started, then swiftly added: "San. Kaori-san, aren't you frightened?"
"Of seahorses?"
"No. Of the fact that I became a seahorse."
"Uh- yes! What do you think? Of course I'm frightened! I can turn people into seahorses by just touching them! Do you know how many sit-com moments my life will now consist of?"
"Kaori-san!" Hatori was getting exasperated. "It isn't you, it's me."
"Are you..." Kaori blinked. "Are you...breaking up with me?!"
"What? No, I-"
"Oh, what? You're Mr. Commitment one moment and now this?! Who is she?! I demand to know! It's that secretary isn't it? Well fine- I only went out with you for the sex! ...Oh, hi Momiji."
"Hi," Said Momiji, then he turned. "I'll come back some other time."
"Kaori!" Snapped Hatori. "What the hell was that all about?"
"I saw a TV programme and always wanted to say it," Kaori grinned.
Hatori looked at the door. "Momiji,"
"It's okay Hari, I'll be back after you and Kaori-chan have sorted out your issues,"
"Momiji," Sighed Hatori. "She knows."
"About the cheating?"
"Can we please leave that subject behind us?" Hatori pinched the bridge of his nose, desperately trying to calm down. "She knows about the curse."
Momiji nodded. "Yeah, I guessed that seeing as your hair's all wet and Kaori-chan's face is all red."
Kaori's face went an even deeper red. "I didn't see anything!"
"It's not you who turned Hari into a seahorse, Kaori-chan," Said Momiji, his big brown eyes looked very sad as he looked at her. "It's the Sohma curse."
"The Sohma curse?"
"It condemns each Sohma family member to turn into an animal of the Chinese zodiac when hugged by a member of the opposite sex."
"So..." Said Kaori. "I'm not a serial seahorse offender?"
"No."
"But..." She glanced at Hatori. "A seahorse isn't in the Chinese zodiac."
"Is that really what you should be worried about?" He demanded.
"Yeah," Momiji smiled. "It's supposed to represent a dragon."
"Oh," Kaori giggled. "Well that's not all that impressive."
Hatori was looking at her oddly. "You're not scared of me? Of us- the family?"
Kaori thought about it. "I'd be scared of the one that turns into a dragon and that's you and I'm not scared of your anymore- so, no. Not scared."
"Do you want your memory erased?" Asked Momiji flatly.
"Don't overdo the tact, Momiji," Said Hatori.
"What?!" Kaori stared at them. "You were going to erase my memory?!" She backed away, thinking: Okay, NOW I'm scared.
But! Said another voice inside of her head. If they can't catch you...they can't erase your memory.
Stealthily, Kaori backed away.
Hatori recognised the movement. "Kaori-san, please just stay put and-"
In a flash, Kaori pelted to the door and flung it open. "Bye, Hari! Bye Momiji!"
"Bye!" Waved Momiji cheerfully. "Come back soon!"
"Kaori-san!" Snapped Hatori, a little irritated over the fact she had addressed him as his pet nickname 'Hari'. "Come back!"
Kaori had to slow to a walk when she reached his practice on the other side of the complex, slipping on her shoes. Her breath was getting ragged in her throat and Kaori instinctively slowed her lungs.
She had come to ignore the stabbing pain that made her want to double over everytime she ran anywhere.
Kaori fumbled for her phone as she shuffled out of the complex towards the main exit. She drew it out and snapped it open.
"Hey, Takeya," She said. "Yeah. It's Kaori. Listen...could you pick me up like...now?"
Next instalment: Chapter 1: When the snow melts...