Hatori Sohma was always a very cold, indifferent person. He almost never smiled, and when he did it was basically just to be polite. And his rare smiles were dedicated to either Akito when he was small, or his perverse friends Ayame and Shigure Sohma. Nothing at all seemed to touch him. None of the Jyuunishi had ever seen him shed a single tear before.

Women all found him very attractive, with his slightly pale skin, clear eyes and shadowy black hair. He had had a few girlfriends, but none he'd really loved, none that had lightenned his hollow eyes with that particular sparkle.... until Kana came into his life.

Kana Sohma was supposedly a faraway cousin that had come to work for him. To say the least of it, it wasn't love at first sight, especially not for Hatori. When he'd seen the girl who was going to change his life, the first thought that came into his mind was : « that girl looks waaaayyy too cheerful to be a good secretary ».

In fact, Kana Sohma looked ecstatically happy. At first, Hatori had thought that she was just trying to seem enthusiastic on the first day of work, but he then learned that she always was happy. That was why Hatori Sohma saw a half of Kana in the young and sweetly innocent Torhu Honda...

After having introduced herself, Kana had walked to the window and taken a good look of the sky. « Do you think it will snow ? » she had asked the indifferent doctor. « I hope it does ; I love the snow ». The dragon hadn't replied, silently asking himself if his new secretary wasn't insane. « Question : what does snow become when it melts ? » she had asked.

« Does she think I'm an idiot ? » Hatori had thought. « It becomes water, of course », he had said with his usual calm, emotionless tone. « Wrong. ». He was surprised to hear this word and had unknowingly raised his head.

« It becomes « spring » ».

Hatori Sohma had thought that she was indeed a mysterious girl. Very strange, actually. But still, as the days slowly went by, the doctor spent more and more time with his secretary--- and he didn't hate that. Kana Sohma was cheerful all the time, always thinking positively. One day, she had fallen from a window. A few ribs were cracked and a lung was fractured. Both her legs were broken. Hatori had come to the hospital to visit her with a small bouquet of flowers. Instead of complaining, the woman had laughed as if she was really happy and said : « well at least I can't get worse than this, right ? ».

Kana Sohma was not only an optimistic person, but also a good secretary. She always worked herself to the breaking point, coming at six o'clock and leaving at eleven in the evening, sometimes later. Hatori had asked her about it many times. Well, actually, just the one time, but still...

« You looked tired. Are you okay ? »

« Yes, of course ! Don't worry about me, Hatori-sama ! »

« Really ? »

« I'm fine ! »

« Okay then. »

And that had been it. But he still worried about her quite a lot.

They spent a lot of time together, during which Hatori gave her one of his rare smiles. She now had a habit of bringing him hot coffee early in the morning, when he was to busy working his ass off to go get a cup himself. He had a habit of arriving even earlier than her so he could do more of the work himself and she wouldn't have to do it.

The unevitable came. Hatori Sohma fell in love with Kana. The sweet, gentle girl had melted the cold snow that was Hatori, something that no one had ever done before. She had found out about the curse too, but instead of rejecting the man, she had welcomed him with a warm smile. For months they lived happily together. She was his spring and she made him happy. She made green leaves and flowers blossom in his once frozen self.

The troubles started when they went to the Main House to ask Akito's permission to marry. The leader of the Sohmas went mad of course, like he always did. He cornered the dragon into the room that had once imprisonned poor Yuki, and began to scream.

« Who do you think you are ? Leaving me for this stupid girl ! Do you really think she loves you ? Do you really think anyone at all can love you ? How dumb are you ? You think monsters like you have a right to lead happy lives ? »

Hatori's answers to each question was yes, yes, yes.He didn't fight back or argue, because he knew the only reason Akito did this to him was because of his fear of being abandonned. That's why he didn't recoil when the leader of the Jyuunishi took a knife in his pale hands and came at him. That's why he didn't complain when he felt a sharp blade pierce his flesh and blood flow from his now blind eyes. That's why he only let himself go when Ayame and Shigure ran into the room and attempted to calm Akito down.

But then his friends couldn't stop Akito from hurting Kana herself. He sreamed at her this time, blaming her for Hatori's blindness, yelling horrible things from which the innocent girl never recovered from...

Sickness attacked Kana Sohma. Hatori, being a doctor, tried his best to help his beloved one. But the sickness was in her spirit, and from that no one could heal... The only way was to erase her mind, take away any memories of her relationship with Hatori Sohma. The dragon knew it was for the best, so he calmly obeyed and took away her memories. So that she could forget everything. So that she could be the happy, cheerful girl she was again.

After some time, Hatori learned that she had found someone new. Someone who could make her happy and protect her like he couldn't.

I want you to be happy, Kana. Even if it means we don't get to be together. Even if I have to live a life of coldness and sorrow.

Owari