Facing the Music
Sorry that it's been so long since I updated. My life has been a bit crazy of late. But here's the next installment. I'm holding with my traditional format: Hatori is in bold and Shigure isn't. I hope you enjoy it. As always read and respond.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of this brilliant series sadly.
After leaving Mayuko's apartment I had Akito's appointment to look forward to. As always this was a laugh-riot. Fortunately I kept a spare shirt in my office for days when I was out late attending to patients (my heart fluttered at the thought of other reasons I could possibly need spare clothes at the office.) However, as Akito sensed happiness and did everything possible to quash it I settled the butterflies, put on my mask of apathy and entered Akito's chambers. I often marveled at how much power that little creature held over us all. Even before I took up tai-chi and judo I could easily have bested Akito. However power was not necessarily a physically manifested phenomenon. Knowing just what buttons to push was Akito's specialty. And the button-pressing commenced as soon as I walked through the door.
"You're late!"
Bottling my growing annoyance I refused to rise to Akito's bait and attempted to get through the appointment as quickly as possible so that I could deal with the next unpleasant matter: curbing the Dog. However, Akito would have no part of it. As I drew near suspicion quickly entered sharply narrowed eyes. And then the theatrical gagging started.
"How---How dare you come into my presence smelling of that filth!"
I immediately regretted that I hadn't had time to take a shower before arriving at the compound. Of course Akito was reacting to the cologne. The reaction was of course mostly psychosomatic in nature, as Sohma-sama's personality was as poisonous as the allergens and viruses that floated about the room. However, that wouldn't stop Akito's flailing and fuming.
"Who is she? How can you possibly believe that you deserve to have someone care for you? Do you not remember that your very existence is ugly and unworthy? Did you manage to turn your power on yourself and forget how your insolence and stupidity caused so much pain and anguish? You brought her pain. You forced me to hurt you. And if need be I will do the same again."
Akito was clearly expecting me to kowtow, to turn the other cheek, to forget Mayu existed. However, I was determined not to allow that to happen again.
Silently, I attempted to move through my examination with steely precision. Yet our lord and master had other things in mind. While moving towards him with a thermometer and a syringe a hand whipped out with lightening speed and snatched the thermometer. Breaking it in half he brandished the broken stub. Akito clearly wished to give me a matched set of scars. Yet with my new confidence and skill I was easily able to duck his advances.
Cackling crazily, Akito threw half of the thermometer at me in order to get me to step backwards, which of course I didn't. The small rod bounced across the floor and rolled to a stop on the other side of the room. However, Akito appeared unfazed. Apparently he was trying another tack to make me feel miserable.
"Oh, the little dragon seems to think he has gained wings to fly away from me! But you'll NEVER escape!" And with that he ground the other end of the thermometer into his wrist, obviously meaning to severely hurt himself and cause me to feel tremendously guilty. However, he didn't take into consideration that thermometers are made of safety glass. (I cursed the fact that I hadn't changed the batteries in the digital. But I suppose he would have found another option to make himself less than useful.) He would have had to stab himself repeatedly for hours to draw blood. And as I didn't have all day to wait for his drama to come to fruition I waited patiently for my opening. Clearly frustrated, he took his eyes off of me for one second too long to contemplate the dull edge of the glass tube. In that second I quickly grabbed his free arm, wrenched it behind him and spoke very calmly and quietly to him.
"Akito-sama, you must face facts. Your reign as god has ended. The Dragon has abandoned me and the other members of the zodiac have also reported that their spirits have flown as well. Thus you have no power over me. And with that I administered the necessary shot (which fortunately had a sophoriphic effect), put him to bed, called one of the servants and said,
"Master Akito is not feeling well. Make sure he rests well. I will be back to check on him later."
And with that I walked out of the main house, fit to be tied. While I was reasonably sure that I would be able to keep my ire from raining on the head of the Dog, I wasn't positive. However, I felt that it was necessary to say my piece. I couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude when thinking about how Shigure was likely to squirm when I appeared at his door like a harbinger of death. Akito brought out the worst in my personality. I could feel the coldness and arrogance slip up my spine and freeze my mind. However, one thought of Mayuko brought back the feelings of warmth and wellbeing that had so recently taken hold of me. I decided rather to let him squirm for a bit and then simply ask him what had possessed him to feed alcohol to someone who obviously had a poisonous reaction to the sauce. One couldn't help having a bit of fun. Plus Shigure did deserve a bit of grilling.
Saturday afternoon dawned bright and was filled with the chirping sounds of young love. If it weren't for the fact that my head was throbbing from the results of my night's debauchery I would have felt a vicarious spirit of happiness. However, until I found an aspirin and a bite of the dog that bit me I was not going to be able to stand even the adorable tableau of Kyou playfully stalking Toru-chan as she prepared lunch. She squealed delightfully (a sound that was usually enough to send my spirits, as well as other things, soaring) as he threw his arms around her and told her that he wouldn't let her go until she kissed him. My hung over state wouldn't even allow me to fully appreciate her delightful wiggling and sputtering as she flustered about the fact that the leek soup was boiling over (which Kyo had become quite fond of- wonders of all wonders.) And then my headache deepened as I watched a familiar car pull into sight. I muttered a brief thanks that there were witnesses in the house. I would be safe from Tori's full-blown wrath with the children in earshot.
As the BMW pulled up to the house I could not help but be reminded of a hearse arriving on the scene of a recent death. It was black as that traditional conveyance of the dead and the man stepping out of the car, clad in a dark suit, was the spitting image of an undertaker. As he drew closer to the front door I decided that my only hope of surviving this encounter with my head in tact was to take a hostage. Thus, upon entering, I put my arm loosely around Toru (not enough to trigger the curse that still plagued me but enough to ensure that mayhem would ensue should Haa-san approach too quickly.
"Ah Haa-san, he said to me in his most wheedling voice, "You're just in time for lunch! You cannot disappoint Toru as she has spent so much time preparing lovely leek soup!" Kyou's displeasure, either at the concept of the soup or the fact that Shigure was manhandling his girlfriend, was evident. I was inclined to believe that it was the latter as he began lunging at him menacingly rather than sulking noisily away as he had done countless times. To avoid a fight I took the dog by his collar and said,
"Outside. Now. We need to talk."
I was sorely tempted to push him through the fragile rice paper screens. However my respect for other's property curbed the impulse. Instead, I opened the screen with impunity; frog marched Shigure outside and sat down on the deck. Lighting a cigarette (the first in quite some time) I sat back and let the familiar sensation of the nicotine connecting with the pleasure centers of my brain soothe my jangling nerves. After a long drag on my cigarette I fixed Shigure with an appraising stare. He in turn looked at me like a dog who was about to get his nose swatted by a newspaper. Sighing quietly, I stubbed the cigarette out and began my role as the inquisitor.
"Do you mind telling me what that was in aid of Shigure? Do you mind telling me what you were thinking? Do you even care that you could have done serious damage to Mayu's reputation? She is a teacher. Her image is everything. What if members of the school board had been there last night? What if the principal had been there?"
Giving a slight shrug of the shoulders, Shigure graced me with his rarely seen serious side.
"Ahh Haa-san. I suppose you wouldn't believe that that was a bit of selfish altruism on my part?"
He paused as if waiting for commentary on my part. Raising an eyebrow, I let him continue unaccosted. After eying me for a moment, he continued.
"Of all of us Haa-san, you're the hard case, the hold out, the least likely to let himself be loved again. If the curse broke for you I'd know that I'd have a chance. Plus, you looked like you needed some help,"
Smiling wryly, I stated,
"Do me a favor Gure, don't help. Let me take it from here."
Shigure sat down beside me and began smoking his own cigarette. Turning to me he flashed me with a sad smile.
"But you know Hatori, while we're all happy to see the dragon go, he's breaking hearts in his wake. But that's the way of the world n'est pas? Something must break apart to leave room for the new."
And with that cryptic comment Gure patted me on the shoulder and announced,
"Well, I bet that lunch is ready now. Please, come and eat with us. It's been a while since you've had a home cooked meal I'm sure. And if you expect that that will change when you give Mayu houseroom let me be the first to denude you of that impression. I was the guinea pig for many a botched culinary experiment. I still shudder at the thought of the arid mounds of french-fried toast that were presented to me one birthday morning."
With that reminder of Mayu's problematic culinary exploits I joined Shigure for Toru's masterfully prepared cuisine. Fortunately I had all of the finest restaurants programmed into my GPS. If all else failed we wouldn't starve.
So that's Chapter 7. I'll try to get another chapter up soon! TTFN! Acta
