Chapter 7-Home Again

Hatori woke with a start when he heard the alarm go off. He almost fell off the bed before he realized where he was sitting. He then saw whose room it was and got up slowly careful not to disturb the sleeping Tohru but then he realized the reason she had set her alarm in the first place. He gently shook her awake. She looked up with still sleepy eyes and said "hmm, yes" while rubbing her eyes. "Time to make dinner" he said. Tohru perked up finally something she could do. She quickly brushed her hair and headed downstairs with Hatori's help.

When they reached the kitchen Hatori had her sit on a stool. He told her she could do the cutting, washing, mixing or whatever she could do while sitting but he would get the ingredients and do the cooking or whatever required being able to move around the kitchen. He told it was so he could learn to cook but they both knew better. Tohru looked disappointed but was excited to be able to do something that she agreed and remained sitting on the stool. First they decided what they were going to make and then Hatori got the ingredients while Tohru called out what ingredients were necessary. When Tohru had finished the preparations Hatori would cook. When they were finished Hatori brought out the food and tea and then proceeded to help Tohru get out to the Dining Hall.

Tohru looked sad once again when he had to help her to the table. When he saw her face he leaned down and kissed her forehead. She smiled and looked down at her hands in her lap as he sat next to her.

"When we get back I will give you some crutches and x-ray your leg to make sure it's not broken". Tohru nodded and saw Kisa and Hiro come in half asleep (they had fallen asleep during a movie they had just watched) next Yuki came in with Kyo yelling something about him being extremely arrogant. After that the rest of the family began to pour in. Everyone sat down quietly this was their second to last dinner here and no one was ready to leave. Tohru looked unhappy at the sudden silence so Hatori got a conversation going with her and eventually everyone joined in till it became another loud happy meal. After dinner they had three hours till they had to go to bed. Hatori wasn't sure what to do. When he looked at Tohru though, she kept glancing toward the kitchen. "Would you like to cook some more" he said his kind eyes looking her way.

In just the few days they had been at the resort his eyes had gone from the typical cold doctor eyes to warm and loving gentlemen's eyes. Everyone knew it was due to Tohru's influence except her.

"Can we?" she said with such excitement that Hatori let out a loud chuckle that frightened Shigure and Ayame who were doing their new favorite activity, spying on the new couple. They had spent so much time following the couple that they could clearly state where they had been every day since they arrived there.

"Sure, I'd love for you to show me how to make some desserts". When they entered the kitchen he sat her down on the stool and went to grab the cookbooks but this time he handed them to her and asked her to pick her favorite. She looked confused and nodded. When she opened the book she almost turned right to the page that had the recipe for strawberry shortcake. When she saw this Hatori saw her beautiful eyes twinkle. For the next three hours they spent time perfecting and sampling several strawberry dishes that he knew she would love. When he finally checked the clock even he was surprised. He told Tohru it was time to finish and clean up. He almost felt like continuing when he saw the disappointment that crossed her face. He felt terrible but reprimanded himself and started to clean up with Tohru's help. When they were done they packed everything in case there was some to bring home tomorrow and then Hatori helped Tohru up to her bedroom. After he had settled her in her bed for the night he made his way to his room with no doubt that he would have peaceful dreams. He was almost intercepted by Shigure and Ayame but he managed to evade them and make his way to his room. He fell asleep quickly and quietly.

The next morning he awoke feeling the best he's ever felt. He quickly got dressed and made his way to Tohru's room. She was still fast asleep when he entered after knocking. He quietly watched her sleeping for a moment. Then walked to her bedside and sat down gently on the edge of her bed. He gently shook her awake. Then he noticed the pictures of her mother sitting on her bedside table. He was always happy when he saw the picture of her mother. Her mother, even in the photos, had a smile that was infectious. Something she passed down to her daughter.

Slowly Tohru began to wake up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes like usual as she smiled up at Hatori. Hatori got her clothes for her and then left her to change before making their way downstairs. They happily made their way down the hall and into the kitchen where they chatted about the vacation and everyone else while they made breakfast. When they were done Hatori brought the food, tea and Tohru out. He sat her lightly down and just sat down as everyone started to come in. Yuki who almost ran into a wall before sitting in his seat was the last to arrive. After breakfast Shigure got everyone's attention and then said that everyone should be ready to leave because the bus would be at the resort at 7 pm. Almost everyone groaned they were having too much fun and didn't want to leave. Tohru was happy, she didn't want to miss any more school then she already had.

When Shigure was done everyone helped because they didn't want Tohru to want to get up. After everything was cleared, Hatori helped Tohru to her room and made sure she was settled and then left her to read and take a nap.

He headed for the recreation room. He turned on the television and then buried his head into his hands. He stayed like that for several minutes till he suddenly heard "it must be hard to watch TV like that". He looked up to see Shigure looking down at him. "What's wrong" he said his eyes showing rare concern but Hatori knew that was bound to change as quickly as it had started. "I'm worried about going back" he said shaking his head. "Why" Shigure said sitting next to him. "Akito" was all he needed to say. Shigure nodded; "he won't be happy about you and Tohru will he?" He leaned back and said "for once I have no idea what to do, the best you could do is be secretive about it till you can find a better idea" then he got up and left. Hatori knew he was right. If he called everything off now Tohru would be heartbroken and if he told Akito, he would become furious and that did no good the first time and he may even hurt her in the process. The problem was if Akito wanted to know something or thought something was going on behind his back it wouldn't be long till he found out.

He shook away his feeling of dread and headed for his room. When he was done packing he headed to Tohru's room to help her pack. He found her on the floor in front of her dresser. She was sitting up and pulling things out of her dresser. "What do you think you're doing?" he said leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He then walked over to her closet and grabbed the duffle in the bottom and set it near her. He figured she was already where she wanted to be there wasn't much he could do now except help her with her packing. While she got everything out of the drawers, he got everything out of the closet. He set everything on the floor near her. He left her snow jacket in the closet so that she could wear it when they left later.

They decided they would have dinner and then leave. Tohru was happy that she and Hatori could make dinner for everyone before they had to leave.

When she and Hatori had packed everything Tohru went to get up. Before she got to her feet Hatori came over and helped her sit on her bed. "Um, Hatori" she started to say. "Yes, Tohru" he said looking into her eyes. "Can we go watch a movie in the recreation room" she said looking embarrassed again which wasn't hard to make her feel. "Sure" he said getting up and then went to help her to her feet. When they got there Kisa and Hiro were also going in. "Would you like to watch a movie with us?" Tohru asked. "Yes, please" Kisa said while Hiro glared at the other couple.

Hatori was worried. It was already dangerous for him and Tohru to be in love behind Akito's back but what would happen if he found that there were actually two couple's that were dating behind his back. He shook his head when he saw Tohru looking at him worriedly. "Sorry, just thinking about something, what did you say" he said. "What movie would you like to watch" she said cheerfully. "I don't mind whichever you three would like to watch" he said smiling down at her. The other three discussed for a moment what to watch. They ended up going with Kisa's choice. When they stuck in the movie each couple settled down on a different couch to watch the movie.

When the movie was done they all got up and Kisa and Hiro walked over and settled in front of the fireplace. Tohru and Hatori decided they would go to pool that had a hot tub where you had to wear your bathing suit like in America. Hatori suggested it hoping it would help Tohru's leg and would make it feel better. Hatori helped Tohru to her room and grabbed one of her suits from her duffle bag and set it near her on the bed. He then left and went to get on his suit. When he was done he went and waited for Tohru in front of her room. He knocked and asked if she was done changing. When she said "Yes" he entered and saw her in her bikini, even though he had chosen it he looked away slightly red from embarrassment and tried to cough to cover it up. "Um, let's go" he said reaching his hand for her's which she eagerly reached for.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they headed for the pool area. When they got in Hatori helped Tohru into the hot tub and then joined her. While they relaxed Hatori asked her more questions about her family. Tohru happily answered but when she asked about his family she got the same response as before, silence. "Sorry" she said looking back at the water. "No, it's nothing you said, it's just, I don't know what to say. You always say to look for the good in everyone but it's hard to find the good in my parents" he said his hair covering his sad looking eyes. "What do you mean" Tohru said looking confused. "They weren't kind, caring parents in the least" he said his eyes full of hurt and fear. Tohru touched his hand trying to comfort him. He smiled at her, his eyes full of sorrow and he kissed her forehead earning him the blush he used to cheer himself up a bit. He leaned back and began to explain about his parents. Tohru listened intently not daring to miss a word. He told her how his parents expected so much of him and when he disappointed them, they would beat him or just shun him completely but they also made him become a doctor for Akito which he had no choice in the matter and while he worked they would reap the benefits of having a "important child". He continued to talk for about ten to fifteen minutes.

Shigure and Ayame, who had been hiding in the dressing room with the door slightly opened to listen, were amazed. They had never heard Hatori talk about his parents even to them. He had always seemed upset and depressed whenever they asked so they had decided to stop asking.

When he was done Tohru was still holding his hand. He leaned his head down on her shoulder. She felt tears drip down on her shoulder and suddenly turned into a comforting mother. They stayed in for another half an hour till 11:00 am. They only got out because they needed to make lunch. Hatori had almost forgotten about Tohru's ankle till she tripped when she tried to climb out. He went to help her and received an apologetic look. He smiled at her and helped her all the way to her room. After she and he had changed they headed for the kitchen and did the same thing they done at breakfast. Tohru sat on her stool and called out what they needed and did the cutting, stirring and anything she could do without getting up. When they were done, Hatori brought out the food and helped Tohru out as well. When everyone had come to the table Shigure announced that dinner would be at 5:00 instead of 6:00 so that everyone could get ready. When they finished the meal, some headed towards their rooms while some went to have some fun while they still could. Tohru and Hatori decided again to talk for a little while. "Hatori, do you want to go back?" Tohru said resting her head on his shoulder. He smiled a bit uncomfortable with the closeness which was something that the Jyuunishi were not accustomed to. "I'm not sure, on one hand I have to get back to work on the other being here with you has been the best time of my life" he said making Tohru turn as red as the strawberries she loved so much.

It was hard to believe they had only been at the resort for six days considering how close they had become.

They talked for about a half an hour before they decided to do something else. They went to go swim and swam for about an hour with Tohru doing only light swimming in the shallower end. About ten minutes into swimming Kisa, Hiro and Momiji came in. They played water volleyball with the three kids against mainly Hatori since Tohru's leg wasn't at all better. Tohru was impressed by how calmly and well Hatori played. He was as quick and agile in the water as Kyo was at martial arts. When she tried to hit the volleyball though it would fly over her head and they would lose. One time she missed so badly she even heard Hatori laughing at her which for some reason put a huge smile on her face. She loved his deep laughter.

When they stopped playing Tohru sat on the edge of the pool, while watching Hatori swim four laps back and forth across the pool. She was impressed and loved how strong he was. His muscles rippled with each stroke. They spent another half hour like this.

When they got out they went to change in their rooms. After changing they went to the kitchen and finished what was left of the snacks that she had made with Momiji and Hatori. They talked some more, they wanted to know as much about each other as possible. They knew when they went home they would have little time to do that safely.

After a little while Ayame and Shigure joined them. They sat down to talk to the couple. Shigure was the first to speak. "So how are you two" he started. "Ok" they said in unison. "Just ok, Ayame what do you think" he teased. "Well, I think they looked very content together" he said. Hatori was waiting for the conversation to take a sudden turn and then it did. "So you guys kiss yet" Ayame said. Hatori looked at him in shock and Tohru sat silently looking at her hands, a deep red blush overtook her face. "We will take that as a yes" they said and then left as quickly as they had come. Hatori and Tohru sat stunned for a moment before they resumed talking. They talked about when and where they were going on their first date. They decided they would go to the zoo together on Saturday.

They decided after that to take a nap until dinner. After Hatori helped Tohru to her room he headed to his room. They fell asleep for about an hour and a half. Hatori spent the first hour dreaming about Tohru and about holding her close. Considering dreams show us what we desire the most, what he desired was to be with her always safely not having to worry about Akito or the curse.

When they woke up they both read the books they had on their bedside tables for an hour. Then they got out of their pajamas and Hatori headed for Tohru's room. He knocked her door and she answered "just a moment". A moment later she and Hatori were headed downstairs. When they got to the kitchen they quickly made what would be the family's final meal there. All during cooking Hatori and Tohru were completely silent.

When they were done Hatori brought in the food and the Tohru. Everyone was late so they were alone for about ten minutes. Tohru laid her hand onto his shoulder. She became very quiet so he looked at her. She was fast asleep, he smiled and didn't want to wake her but when he heard the others coming he knew she would he embarrassed if she was caught napping so he gently shook her awake. She awoke suddenly just as everyone came in.

Everyone was very quiet during the meal even Shigure and Ayame. For some reason Tohru felt very nervous and scared. She had become so use to the busy, loud family that the quiet was just too unusual. When everyone had finished they were told to gather their stuff and get ready to leave. Everyone looked depressed which upset Tohru. Hatori saw this and helped her up and brought her out of the Dining Hall and went to the porch after grabbing and putting on their coats. As he helped Tohru ease into a chair he saw her looking depressed and upset. They only had an hour till vacation ended and he went back to the main house and Tohru went back to Shigure's house. Suddenly he also felt depressed and upset. Seeing that Hatori too was becoming unhappy, Tohru tried to smile again and asked if he wanted to go sit and talk in front of the fire again. He agreed and also tried hard to smile for her. He helped her up and when they got inside put her coat on the coat rack as well as his own and headed for the recreation room. When they sat down Tohru tried to smile but dissolved into tears. The young girl who never showed sadness fell to tears at the thought of not having an easy time spending time with Hatori. She also thought of Kisa and Hiro who had also become so close on this vacation. Hatori wanted desperately to take her in his arms and comfort her. Instead he had her lay her head on his lap and stroked her hair gently, like a father would, trying to calm her down. After a moment she fell asleep and slept for half an hour. When she woke up she looked at Hatori who had fallen asleep sitting up with her head on his lap. She looked quietly at the clock and saw it was just after 6:45 and gently woke Hatori up. His eyes slowly opened to her now smiling face. He got up and smiled back. He rubbed his eyes and then he looked at the clock as well and realized they had less than fifteen minutes to get ready for the bus to come. He got up and then slowly helped Tohru to her feet and then upstairs. First they went to his room so they could grab his bags and then they headed to her room but Kyo and Yuki were already there each one had her stuff in their arms as well as their own. They glared at Hatori and headed downstairs. Hatori helped Tohru down the stairs and when they reached the front door he helped her get on her coat. They decided to wait for the bus on the front porch. When they got outside they saw that Kisa and Hiro had, had the same idea that they did. The young couple had their bags lying at their feet and Kisa had her head on Hiro shoulder and had tears in her beautiful amber eyes. Hatori and Tohru took a seat on the porch swing opposite from the younger kid couple (other side of the porch not directly across). Tohru understood why Kisa was upset in the times Tohru met Akito she had become very afraid of him. If he found out about their relationship, the thought made her shutter at the thought. Then she thought "what would he do if he found out about Hatori and I" the thought made her shutter again and look at Hatori's bad eye. She suddenly realized that he was looking concerned at her. "Are you cold, should we go inside" he asked looking her over making sure it wasn't any other reason. "No I was just thinking that's all" she said. "About what" he asked. Tohru looked nervously at her hands and said "Akito and us and them" looking at Kisa and Hiro. Hatori looked surprised, she had realized it too, that it was a dangerous situation. "Yea, I was thinking about that earlier" he said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We have to be secretive about this till we know exactly how to word it so he won't get angry" Hatori said with a sad expression (Hatori thought "there is no way to word it so he won't get angry but hopefully it will calm her down"). "It probably isn't best to tell your friends either until we know how this goes" he finished. She looked unhappy but nodded. She disliked not telling her friends things but if she did they may get excited and what would happen if this didn't work out. "Don't get sad; don't forget we have our first date in four days. You want to go to the zoo right?" he said trying cheer her up. She nodded and her eyes lit up.

That was when the bus pulled up and her sad look returned. Hatori grabbed his bag and helped her to feet. "Tomorrow, I'll pick you up from school and give you the crutches then". Tohru was about to argue but then realized it was another chance to see Hatori and nodded. He smiled; he too wanted to see her as soon as possible. "That way I can bring you to the clinic and have that leg x-rayed as well" again she nodded. When they got on the bus they took their seats before the eager bunny bounced on and took a seat next to Tohru. Across from them Kisa and Hiro sat together. When everyone was on the bus pulled away. Tohru looked sadly at the slowly disappearing resort and their disappearing vacation.

The trip back would take about two and a half hours to three hours due to the snow. After the first hour Tohru laid her head down on Hatori's shoulder and fell asleep much to the jealousy of the other males who also loved her. Shigure and Ayame watched them proudly, thinking that Hatori was the one who deserves happiness the most for all he does for the family. Their plan had worked, this vacation was only part of it but it had gone off without a hitch.

The whole bus was eerily silent as if everyone was afraid that speaking would cause the ending of vacation to become real.

Suddenly Shigure remembered something and went to talk with Hatori. "Why don't you come over for dinner in two days, I'm sure that Tohru would love to have you over" he said a sly grin on his face. As much as Hatori knew something was up he agreed. He couldn't say no when Shigure mentioned Tohru's name. When they finally arrived back Hatori offered to drive Shigure, Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru home. Hatori picked up Tohru being careful not to hug her and got off the bus and went to his car. Shigure opened the door to the car and Hatori sat her between Yuki and Kyo who slid in after putting the bags in the back.

When they reached the house Hatori was afraid to carry her up the stairs in case he fell or tripped so he slowly shook her awake enough to walk and helped her up the stairs.

Still half asleep he settled her in bed, set her alarm and closed the door. When he was about to leave he heard Shigure call out "don't forget about coming over in two days". Hatori walked out and sighed before getting into the car and going home for the night.

When Tohru awoke to her alarm in the morning she saw she was in her own bed at home with no recollection of how she got there from the bus. She went downstairs after changing and got ready to make breakfast. Soon after Kyo came downstairs and when he saw her he scolded her and helped her over to the couch before lecturing her on how she wasn't doing herself any good. While she sat Kyo finished breakfast, set it out and then helped her over to the table. She kept apologizing over and over. Kyo loved it when she became flustered and red. After everyone came down they ate and when they were done and everything was cleaned up Kyo helped her get her stuff and made her wait on the couch for Hatori to arrive. Then he went upstairs to get ready just as Yuki was coming down from getting ready. "Keep an eye on her could ya, you damn rat" Kyo said glaring as he walked by Yuki gave him a look of pure malice and walked into the living room. Yuki talked with Tohru to keep her busy till Hatori arrived.

After coming in Hatori went to help Tohru to the car and asked Yuki and Kyo, who had just come downstairs, if they wanted a ride. They glared at him but followed him and Tohru to the car.

When they arrived at school Hatori helped Tohru out of the car and handed her the crutches. When Kyo and Yuki got out of the car they attached themselves to Tohru and made sure they didn't even give her the slightest reason to use her bad ankle.

Uo and Hana became very worried when they saw her and Uo's first reaction was to blame Kyo who she threatened to kill. Once Tohru calmed her down, she told her the truth. She only glared at Kyo after that. Hana even seemed to look a bit worried though her features never changed.

After school, as promised Hatori was there to pick her up. When Hana saw them together she felt very positive denpa waves coming from them.

Hatori offered to drive Kyo and Yuki home as well but they refused to be shoved in the back with Momiji and Haru and Yuki had student council anyway. Kyo also said that he was going to his Sensei's to make up for his lost practice time. He got in and took off. When they reached the Honke, Hatori helped Tohru out of the car with Momiji bouncing excitedly next to her and Haru glumly walking next to the energetic bunny. Tohru chatted with Momiji as they entered Hatori's clinic. When Tohru saw it she became excited she had seen his home but never the clinic.

After Hatori had x-rayed her leg with the help of one of his nurses who chatted happily with her, he found that she had just sprained it badly and it was healing quickly. He bandaged it and gave her the crutches back to walk with as they were walking they decided to spend some time together cooking. They went to Hatori's house followed by Momiji and Haru. They went inside and Tohru called Shigure to let him knew she would be home in time for dinner. He asked her where she was and when she answered at Hatori's he let out a quick smile and told her to have fun before hanging up.

She limped back to the kitchen and she found Hatori had already started to gather the ingredients that were needed and he had also found a cookbook that he had. When she entered he turned and smiled at her before grabbing a chair. She kissed his cheek to thank him for everything causing them both to blush.

The rest of the time they worked and laughed together. When they were done everyone, including Momiji and Haru sat to enjoy the meal. Momiji was astounded. "Hatori, did you really make this, it's so good" he exclaimed taking another bite. "Yea, I only helped a little bit" Tohru answered loving how Hatori seemed embarrassed by the compliment.

They ate in silence for a little while till Hatori asked "how is your ankle feeling". "It feels better now that you bandaged it and I haven't been putting pressure on it" she said smiling brightly.

She had no idea what was waiting for her tomorrow.