"And Then." for "Fruits Basket"
Disclaimer: The author is not responsible for any concussions, constipations, coronaries, cavities, compresses, cacophonies, catfights, or any other random alliterations that may be caused by reading this fan fiction. Fruits Basket isn't mine, or the characters (unless I make 'em up) so don't get on my case about copyright infringements.
Chapter Five: Tears of Rain
Hatori Sohma, after leaving Tohru and Momiji with Akito in his main hall, went straight to his office in the building next door and sat down in the comfortable, swiveling chair in front of his desk. His burnished- bronze eyes swept over the folders and charts stacked neatly in piles, read labels and considered which to examine first. Every member of the Sohma family had a chart; he was the family doctor, and he was rather insistent on keeping their records up to date. The thickest folder of them all bore Akito's name on the tab. It was at least three times as large as any of the others. For years, Akito had required Hatori's constant attention. The young man suffered from frequent illnesses and mental stress associated with the curse that kept him bedridden much of the time.
Hatori idly tapped his fingers on the buff-colored folder. He knew what it would contain if he peeked inside. He'd gone over Akito's case just a couple of hours ago. Nothing had changed since then. There weren't any changes with any of the other Sohmas, either. Things were unusually quiet. Hatori stared at the surface of his desk with his good eye. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't needed urgently for a sickness or an injury or to give someone a checkup. For once in his life he was actually caught up.
The doctor winced when he realized he was gazing at the small, framed picture of Kana, his former fiancée. He often found himself idly looking at it when he wasn't concentrating on work. The pretty young woman in a summer dress was smiling at him from behind the glass as she had every day since he'd met her. Now she was smiling for another man. Not him. No, Kana had used up all her time with the Sohmas. And he was the one who had erased himself from her memory.
Whenever he saw that picture over his desk, Hatori couldn't help but wonder what might have been, if things had turned out differently. He and Kana would be married, and they would probably even have children. There's no use in thinking like that, he reprimanded himself harshly, quelling the heavy feelings rising in his heart. It's all in the past now. Studying Kana's slender form and laughing eyes, he knew he ought to get rid of that photograph. Keeping it was only a thorn in his side, reminding him of a past that no longer existed and a future that would never be, except in his foolish imagination. But each time he took the framed photo off the shelf to drop it in the wastebasket, something always held him back, made him replace it on the shelf.
Tearing his eyes away from Kana, he leaned back in the leather chair and stared at the small but immaculate office. Soft light filtered in from outside where thick clouds hid the graying sky, creeping across the floorboards. The corners of the room were dark and shadowed. Really not a beneficial environment, but Hatori preferred the peaceful dimness. He sat in silent meditation for a very long time, facing the wall. It nagged at him that he had nothing constructive to do but sit there. Maybe he should visit his other office in the city and see what he could accomplish there.
Rubbing his chin in absent thought, Hatori raised his hand to check his watch. They'd been in there for about an hour. It was amazing that he could waste time like this. Remembering Shigure's request, he got up and left the office. When he arrived at his destination, the door was open, and he could see both Akito and Tohru inside. It looked reasonably docile- Tohru was still alive and in one piece. What made Hatori look closely though was Akito. He could just see the young head of the family past Tohru, sitting in his polished chair. The expression on Akito's face though was startling. Those normally raging blue eyes of his looked confused. And afraid. Emotions Hatori had never seen Akito betray before in his life. Just then the dark-haired young man pushed Tohru away, not roughly and said something to her that Hatori couldn't catch.
Interrupting the conversation the two were having, Hatori stepped inside and stood there. While he waited, he scrutinized the young man carefully. Akito noticed his presence first, then Tohru.
"It's time for me to take her home, Akito," Hatori announced in a neutral tone when he saw Tohru's tear-damp face turn to look at him. What had the two of them been talking about? His physician's instincts kicked in, and he quickly looked over the young woman from a distance, but found nothing visibly wrong with her. Physically, at least. That was somewhat relieving.
Hatori felt Akito's cold gaze boring into his back as he escorted Tohru out of that room and outside into fresh air. The sky was still overcast and grim; rain looked inevitable today. He didn't say a word to the young woman about her audience with Akito while he opened the passenger side door for her to get in, fastened his seatbelt, and backed out of his parking spot. Nor did he once they were through the main gates of the Sohma property and driving down the winding road that cut through the mountainside. Faint thunder was beginning to roll through the air, and a wind picked up, blowing loose leaves across his windshield. Hatori grimaced. He could barely see out of his left eye--his vision was only just good enough for him to keep his license-but a rainstorm would make things more difficult. Well, as long as they were off the mountain and on the freeway again before rain started to pour, they should be all right.
The weather seemed to be in a slightly cooperative mood; Hatori was racing up the entrance to the freeway just as the darkened skies burst with a loud crack of thunder and forked lightning. Rain immediately began pelting the car, but Hatori kept it running faultlessly in his narrow lane.
"I'm sorry to make you go through so much trouble," said Tohru timidly beside him. Between his thoughts of the weather and driving, he had almost forgotten she was even there. She'd been quiet as a mouse ever since she got into the car. Shifting his hands on the steering wheel and changing lanes, Hatori replied simply, "It's no trouble at all."
After that, silence was restored, disrupted only by sounds of the storm passing overhead. But now that Hatori was conscious of another person in the vehicle besides him, he felt just a little uncomfortable. Tohru was staring at her feet, wringing her hands together. Clearly something was on her mind. With an inward sigh, Hatori inquired, "So what did you and Akito talk about?"
The young woman didn't answer right away, and when she did, it was off the subject. She sounded as if she had been thinking about it for some time.
"Hatori, why did you never blame Akito for hurting your eye?"
It was such a meek question, plain and without preamble, that Hatori was taken off guard. Keeping his good eye on the road, he sighed and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" Tohru insisted. "I mean, I can understand if it's something personal."
The rain slackened a bit, spattering the windshield only occasionally now, in random bursts. Hatori pulled into the exit lane, guiding the car through the narrow lane as it cruised to the pair of red traffic lights at the end. He was aware of Tohru's attention on him. Making a right, he drove further up the road.
Tohru began to grow uncomfortable with Hatori's unanswering stoicism. Wringing her clammy hands even tighter, she turned her gaze to the dull gray dashboard in front of her. Oh no, she thought, I must have made him pretty mad. Why did I have to go and ask him that? Dummy!
She stole a quick glance at the driver. Hatori was still concentrating on his driving. They were turning onto a rural lane. Tohru recognized it as the one that led to Shigure's house. He probably thinks I'm sticking my nose into something that's none of my business, she lamented. Which was kind of true. But she really did want to know. To Tohru's surprise, instead of continuing up the long, winding lane, he pulled the car over to the side of the road, grounding the tires into the gravel, and turned it off. There wasn't any sound except for the drizzling rain outside.
Hatori leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
"There's something you need to understand, Tohru." He folded his arms across his chest and sighed as if he was suddenly very tired. "The Sohma family has been cursed for generations. So much pain and hardship over such a long period of time has drawn all of its members together closely. It is a curse we all must share. Not just the members of the zodiac." Hatori opened his olive-colored eyes and regarded her grimly. "I told you long ago that a dark shadow looms over this family. Over all its members."
Tohru felt a shiver of fear go down her spine. No one had really explained to her exactly what the curse was. Only that it was evil. And the way Hatori was looking at her, so seriously, Tohru felt her belly do a somersault.
Hatori didn't notice her discomfort, and if he did, he didn't show it. Maybe he thought it was in Tohru's best interest to keep her on her toes.
"We Sohmas are all bonded together by more than blood. The pain we share keeps us all close together. Akito is the head of the family, and he holds all the authority. The heads of the Sohmas have always come from his direct line, as is his line that carries the brunt of the curse."
"But Akito seems like such a young person," said Tohru. "He doesn't look much older than a kid."
"And he is. He is only a few years older than Yuki and Kyo. And it is unlikely that he will get much older than he is now. But he is the head of the family, nevertheless. He makes all the decisions, makes all the rules, and all we can do is obey him. That is part of the curse. We really do not have much choice in the matter. But we do need him. We rely on him to keep us together, to protect us from the world." He bent his head. "When I told him I wanted to marry Kana, Akito's temper exploded." He lightly touched his long brown bangs that covered his disfigured eye, reminiscing. "He has a condition that often makes him irrational and violent. It is a disorder that has been passed down in his immediate family from the beginning."
Tohru listened in wonder. Her own mental picture of the Sohma curse was becoming deeper and darker with this story. Poor Akito. If he really couldn't control his anger, then maybe he hadn't really meant to hurt Hatori. Or any of the others. He was born with it? So much pain and sadness. Suffering there was no known cure for. Part of her wanted to ask Hatori to stop, and the rest wanted to know more about Akito. If she could understand him a little better, maybe she could actually do something to help him.
"So Akito couldn't control what he was doing, " she speculated out loud.
"That's uncertain at best," Akito replied. "However, I do believe that in spite of how he treated Kana, Akito really thought he had my best interest at heart."
Tohru was stunned. When Akito attacked Hatori, it was Kana Akito blamed it all on. Momiji told her that after a while, Kana even started to believe it herself. Over time, guilt and sorrow ate away at her soul until she truly hated herself. She couldn't even bear to look at the man she loved.
"It was pity for Akito that made me forgive him," Hatori said frankly. "As much as we need him, he also needs us. I suspect that the idea of my dedicating my life and time to another was more than he could bear. Akito is human, just like the rest of us. It stands to reason that he is just as afraid of being alone as we are." He turned to stare at the front of the car, but the windshield had fogged over now that the car was off.
"In the end, maybe Akito was right," Hatori continued. "It was unfair of me to draw Kana into this web. The Sohma curse only brings heartache and suffering to everyone who comes in contact with us." He gave Tohru a stern look. "You will find that out soon enough." Tohru's blood froze and she felt a cold chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. "That is the price paid for knowing us."
An unexpected tapping on Hatori's window nearly made Tohru jump in her seat, but her seatbelt, which was still fastened, kept her from hitting her head on the roof of the car. Hatori rolled down the window, and Shigure's grinning face came into view. He was wearing a coat and had a large blue umbrella over his head.
"Hello there, Hari," he said in a sing-song voice. "I was just out for a walk and I saw you parked here."
"Is that so?" It was more of a flat statement than a question.
Shigure smiled innocently and then peered inside. "Oh, hello Tohru," he added. "I was wondering when you were going to get back. But it looks like you're just in time for lunch." Then, a suspicious expression crossed his face and he narrowed his eyes, taking in the two of them. "Say, just what's going on here?" he asked. Then a thought bubble popped over his head and his grin widened deviously. "Hari, you naughty, naughty man! Just what do you think you're doing, parking out here in the woods with a young woman! And my housekeeper, no less!"
Tohru blinked confusedly, but Hatori merely scowled and said, "Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me. We were merely having a conversation."
"Knowing your knack for conversation, it's probably a good thing I came out here to save her," Shigure chuckled in response as he idly traced the Japanese character for love on the windshield and gave his friend a mischievous, sideways look. Hatori sighed, seeming even more worn out than before, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Tohru, still not quite understanding what was going on, and not sure if she wanted to or not, merely smiled at Hatori, bowing from her seat, and said, "Thank you for the ride. I really appreciate it. Oh, and thanks for talking to me." She got out of the car and went to stand with Shigure under the umbrella.
"Any time," was the other man's response. Once Hatori had started the car up and driven to the end of the lane, Shigure and Tohru began walking back to the house under the umbrella.
"Well, you haven't missed much while you were gone," Shigure said lightly. "Yuki and Kyo got into another fist fight over who had better admissions scores for Tokyo U. Just the usual sort of thing. Although, Kyo is still nursing a bloody nose, and Yuki's been in a bad temper ever since you left. Honestly, there's just no living with those two when you're not around. How was your trip to the main house, anyway? Were you able to find the answers to your questions?"
Tohru looked at wet path they walked, remembering.
"I think maybe I have. I think I'm making a little bit of progress."
"That's good," Shigure replied comfortingly. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention, we've got a visitor at the house."
"Really?" Tohru asked excitedly. "Who?"
"I think I'll let you guess," Shigure responded playfully.
As they neared the front door, suddenly a cacophony of crashes and shouts sounded from the house's interior.
"I TOLD YOU TO GIVE ME A KISS, YOU STINGY, SELFISH JERK!!!"
"NO! I'M NOT GONNA GIVE YOU ANYTHING, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL LEAVE!!!"
A few more destructive noises and an orange-haired boy in a red shirt and khaki cargo pants went flying through the thin paper wall to land in a twitching, moaning heap in the yard.
Tohru's attention was not on the injured Kyo-she was used to seeing him like this almost every day of late-but on the pretty young woman standing in the gap where the wall used to be.
"Kagura!" Tohru exclaimed, running up to the porch to wrap the gray- eyed girl in a hug.
"Tohru!" Kagura replied. "It's so good to see you again!"
"Well, I thought maybe you kids would get lonely while I'm away, so I invited Kagura to stay with you for a while," Shigure commentated.
"This was a great idea, Shigure," Kagura said, and Tohru nodded briskly in agreement. The two of them were like peas in a pod whenever they were together.
"Well, at least you think so. I can think of one person who won't be so excited." Shigure darted a glance at the barely moving Kyo nearby.
"Oh, Miss Honda!" said Yuki, appearing behind Kagura. "You're home." He looked around at the torn paper and broken woodwork of the wall and said, "I came to see what was making all that racket, but I guess I should have suspected."
"I'm sorry," Kagura said, suddenly very humble, "I'll fix it."
"Kyo will help," Shigure said quickly, before Tohru could volunteer herself. The moody young man had risen to a sitting position in the puddle where he'd landed. He glared angrily at Shigure but kept his mouth shut for a change. He rubbed a swelling, red spot on his cheek tenderly and shot a baleful glance at Kagura. She must have nailed him pretty hard this time.
"Well, I for one don't want to stand out here and catch cold," Shigure declared heartily, "why don't we all go inside and Kagura and Kyo can repair their little mishap." Taking the two of them in with his eyes, he said, "Honestly, is this what it's going to be like when you two get married?"
Outraged, Kyo shouted back, "I'm NOT gonna marry her!" at the same time Kagura exclaimed, "I'll teach him to mind his manners or he'll get worse than what I did to him just now."
Tohru couldn't help smiling. A visit to Akito, and now a visit from Kagura. This was definitely turning out to be a very interesting day.
Author's Note: Well, I hope this chapter didn't suck too bad. It's kind of refreshing telling things from Hatori's P.O.V. for once, if a little sullen. I have plans for him that probably won't be revealed for a few chapters. And if my sister Charlie keeps bugging me, then I might have to change all those wonderful plans to spite her. (She's a big Hatori fan). And just for sporadic-ness, I wrote the last chapter just a while ago. Hey, who said I have to do it all in order?
Disclaimer: The author is not responsible for any concussions, constipations, coronaries, cavities, compresses, cacophonies, catfights, or any other random alliterations that may be caused by reading this fan fiction. Fruits Basket isn't mine, or the characters (unless I make 'em up) so don't get on my case about copyright infringements.
Chapter Five: Tears of Rain
Hatori Sohma, after leaving Tohru and Momiji with Akito in his main hall, went straight to his office in the building next door and sat down in the comfortable, swiveling chair in front of his desk. His burnished- bronze eyes swept over the folders and charts stacked neatly in piles, read labels and considered which to examine first. Every member of the Sohma family had a chart; he was the family doctor, and he was rather insistent on keeping their records up to date. The thickest folder of them all bore Akito's name on the tab. It was at least three times as large as any of the others. For years, Akito had required Hatori's constant attention. The young man suffered from frequent illnesses and mental stress associated with the curse that kept him bedridden much of the time.
Hatori idly tapped his fingers on the buff-colored folder. He knew what it would contain if he peeked inside. He'd gone over Akito's case just a couple of hours ago. Nothing had changed since then. There weren't any changes with any of the other Sohmas, either. Things were unusually quiet. Hatori stared at the surface of his desk with his good eye. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't needed urgently for a sickness or an injury or to give someone a checkup. For once in his life he was actually caught up.
The doctor winced when he realized he was gazing at the small, framed picture of Kana, his former fiancée. He often found himself idly looking at it when he wasn't concentrating on work. The pretty young woman in a summer dress was smiling at him from behind the glass as she had every day since he'd met her. Now she was smiling for another man. Not him. No, Kana had used up all her time with the Sohmas. And he was the one who had erased himself from her memory.
Whenever he saw that picture over his desk, Hatori couldn't help but wonder what might have been, if things had turned out differently. He and Kana would be married, and they would probably even have children. There's no use in thinking like that, he reprimanded himself harshly, quelling the heavy feelings rising in his heart. It's all in the past now. Studying Kana's slender form and laughing eyes, he knew he ought to get rid of that photograph. Keeping it was only a thorn in his side, reminding him of a past that no longer existed and a future that would never be, except in his foolish imagination. But each time he took the framed photo off the shelf to drop it in the wastebasket, something always held him back, made him replace it on the shelf.
Tearing his eyes away from Kana, he leaned back in the leather chair and stared at the small but immaculate office. Soft light filtered in from outside where thick clouds hid the graying sky, creeping across the floorboards. The corners of the room were dark and shadowed. Really not a beneficial environment, but Hatori preferred the peaceful dimness. He sat in silent meditation for a very long time, facing the wall. It nagged at him that he had nothing constructive to do but sit there. Maybe he should visit his other office in the city and see what he could accomplish there.
Rubbing his chin in absent thought, Hatori raised his hand to check his watch. They'd been in there for about an hour. It was amazing that he could waste time like this. Remembering Shigure's request, he got up and left the office. When he arrived at his destination, the door was open, and he could see both Akito and Tohru inside. It looked reasonably docile- Tohru was still alive and in one piece. What made Hatori look closely though was Akito. He could just see the young head of the family past Tohru, sitting in his polished chair. The expression on Akito's face though was startling. Those normally raging blue eyes of his looked confused. And afraid. Emotions Hatori had never seen Akito betray before in his life. Just then the dark-haired young man pushed Tohru away, not roughly and said something to her that Hatori couldn't catch.
Interrupting the conversation the two were having, Hatori stepped inside and stood there. While he waited, he scrutinized the young man carefully. Akito noticed his presence first, then Tohru.
"It's time for me to take her home, Akito," Hatori announced in a neutral tone when he saw Tohru's tear-damp face turn to look at him. What had the two of them been talking about? His physician's instincts kicked in, and he quickly looked over the young woman from a distance, but found nothing visibly wrong with her. Physically, at least. That was somewhat relieving.
Hatori felt Akito's cold gaze boring into his back as he escorted Tohru out of that room and outside into fresh air. The sky was still overcast and grim; rain looked inevitable today. He didn't say a word to the young woman about her audience with Akito while he opened the passenger side door for her to get in, fastened his seatbelt, and backed out of his parking spot. Nor did he once they were through the main gates of the Sohma property and driving down the winding road that cut through the mountainside. Faint thunder was beginning to roll through the air, and a wind picked up, blowing loose leaves across his windshield. Hatori grimaced. He could barely see out of his left eye--his vision was only just good enough for him to keep his license-but a rainstorm would make things more difficult. Well, as long as they were off the mountain and on the freeway again before rain started to pour, they should be all right.
The weather seemed to be in a slightly cooperative mood; Hatori was racing up the entrance to the freeway just as the darkened skies burst with a loud crack of thunder and forked lightning. Rain immediately began pelting the car, but Hatori kept it running faultlessly in his narrow lane.
"I'm sorry to make you go through so much trouble," said Tohru timidly beside him. Between his thoughts of the weather and driving, he had almost forgotten she was even there. She'd been quiet as a mouse ever since she got into the car. Shifting his hands on the steering wheel and changing lanes, Hatori replied simply, "It's no trouble at all."
After that, silence was restored, disrupted only by sounds of the storm passing overhead. But now that Hatori was conscious of another person in the vehicle besides him, he felt just a little uncomfortable. Tohru was staring at her feet, wringing her hands together. Clearly something was on her mind. With an inward sigh, Hatori inquired, "So what did you and Akito talk about?"
The young woman didn't answer right away, and when she did, it was off the subject. She sounded as if she had been thinking about it for some time.
"Hatori, why did you never blame Akito for hurting your eye?"
It was such a meek question, plain and without preamble, that Hatori was taken off guard. Keeping his good eye on the road, he sighed and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to!" Tohru insisted. "I mean, I can understand if it's something personal."
The rain slackened a bit, spattering the windshield only occasionally now, in random bursts. Hatori pulled into the exit lane, guiding the car through the narrow lane as it cruised to the pair of red traffic lights at the end. He was aware of Tohru's attention on him. Making a right, he drove further up the road.
Tohru began to grow uncomfortable with Hatori's unanswering stoicism. Wringing her clammy hands even tighter, she turned her gaze to the dull gray dashboard in front of her. Oh no, she thought, I must have made him pretty mad. Why did I have to go and ask him that? Dummy!
She stole a quick glance at the driver. Hatori was still concentrating on his driving. They were turning onto a rural lane. Tohru recognized it as the one that led to Shigure's house. He probably thinks I'm sticking my nose into something that's none of my business, she lamented. Which was kind of true. But she really did want to know. To Tohru's surprise, instead of continuing up the long, winding lane, he pulled the car over to the side of the road, grounding the tires into the gravel, and turned it off. There wasn't any sound except for the drizzling rain outside.
Hatori leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
"There's something you need to understand, Tohru." He folded his arms across his chest and sighed as if he was suddenly very tired. "The Sohma family has been cursed for generations. So much pain and hardship over such a long period of time has drawn all of its members together closely. It is a curse we all must share. Not just the members of the zodiac." Hatori opened his olive-colored eyes and regarded her grimly. "I told you long ago that a dark shadow looms over this family. Over all its members."
Tohru felt a shiver of fear go down her spine. No one had really explained to her exactly what the curse was. Only that it was evil. And the way Hatori was looking at her, so seriously, Tohru felt her belly do a somersault.
Hatori didn't notice her discomfort, and if he did, he didn't show it. Maybe he thought it was in Tohru's best interest to keep her on her toes.
"We Sohmas are all bonded together by more than blood. The pain we share keeps us all close together. Akito is the head of the family, and he holds all the authority. The heads of the Sohmas have always come from his direct line, as is his line that carries the brunt of the curse."
"But Akito seems like such a young person," said Tohru. "He doesn't look much older than a kid."
"And he is. He is only a few years older than Yuki and Kyo. And it is unlikely that he will get much older than he is now. But he is the head of the family, nevertheless. He makes all the decisions, makes all the rules, and all we can do is obey him. That is part of the curse. We really do not have much choice in the matter. But we do need him. We rely on him to keep us together, to protect us from the world." He bent his head. "When I told him I wanted to marry Kana, Akito's temper exploded." He lightly touched his long brown bangs that covered his disfigured eye, reminiscing. "He has a condition that often makes him irrational and violent. It is a disorder that has been passed down in his immediate family from the beginning."
Tohru listened in wonder. Her own mental picture of the Sohma curse was becoming deeper and darker with this story. Poor Akito. If he really couldn't control his anger, then maybe he hadn't really meant to hurt Hatori. Or any of the others. He was born with it? So much pain and sadness. Suffering there was no known cure for. Part of her wanted to ask Hatori to stop, and the rest wanted to know more about Akito. If she could understand him a little better, maybe she could actually do something to help him.
"So Akito couldn't control what he was doing, " she speculated out loud.
"That's uncertain at best," Akito replied. "However, I do believe that in spite of how he treated Kana, Akito really thought he had my best interest at heart."
Tohru was stunned. When Akito attacked Hatori, it was Kana Akito blamed it all on. Momiji told her that after a while, Kana even started to believe it herself. Over time, guilt and sorrow ate away at her soul until she truly hated herself. She couldn't even bear to look at the man she loved.
"It was pity for Akito that made me forgive him," Hatori said frankly. "As much as we need him, he also needs us. I suspect that the idea of my dedicating my life and time to another was more than he could bear. Akito is human, just like the rest of us. It stands to reason that he is just as afraid of being alone as we are." He turned to stare at the front of the car, but the windshield had fogged over now that the car was off.
"In the end, maybe Akito was right," Hatori continued. "It was unfair of me to draw Kana into this web. The Sohma curse only brings heartache and suffering to everyone who comes in contact with us." He gave Tohru a stern look. "You will find that out soon enough." Tohru's blood froze and she felt a cold chill that had nothing to do with the temperature. "That is the price paid for knowing us."
An unexpected tapping on Hatori's window nearly made Tohru jump in her seat, but her seatbelt, which was still fastened, kept her from hitting her head on the roof of the car. Hatori rolled down the window, and Shigure's grinning face came into view. He was wearing a coat and had a large blue umbrella over his head.
"Hello there, Hari," he said in a sing-song voice. "I was just out for a walk and I saw you parked here."
"Is that so?" It was more of a flat statement than a question.
Shigure smiled innocently and then peered inside. "Oh, hello Tohru," he added. "I was wondering when you were going to get back. But it looks like you're just in time for lunch." Then, a suspicious expression crossed his face and he narrowed his eyes, taking in the two of them. "Say, just what's going on here?" he asked. Then a thought bubble popped over his head and his grin widened deviously. "Hari, you naughty, naughty man! Just what do you think you're doing, parking out here in the woods with a young woman! And my housekeeper, no less!"
Tohru blinked confusedly, but Hatori merely scowled and said, "Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me. We were merely having a conversation."
"Knowing your knack for conversation, it's probably a good thing I came out here to save her," Shigure chuckled in response as he idly traced the Japanese character for love on the windshield and gave his friend a mischievous, sideways look. Hatori sighed, seeming even more worn out than before, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Tohru, still not quite understanding what was going on, and not sure if she wanted to or not, merely smiled at Hatori, bowing from her seat, and said, "Thank you for the ride. I really appreciate it. Oh, and thanks for talking to me." She got out of the car and went to stand with Shigure under the umbrella.
"Any time," was the other man's response. Once Hatori had started the car up and driven to the end of the lane, Shigure and Tohru began walking back to the house under the umbrella.
"Well, you haven't missed much while you were gone," Shigure said lightly. "Yuki and Kyo got into another fist fight over who had better admissions scores for Tokyo U. Just the usual sort of thing. Although, Kyo is still nursing a bloody nose, and Yuki's been in a bad temper ever since you left. Honestly, there's just no living with those two when you're not around. How was your trip to the main house, anyway? Were you able to find the answers to your questions?"
Tohru looked at wet path they walked, remembering.
"I think maybe I have. I think I'm making a little bit of progress."
"That's good," Shigure replied comfortingly. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention, we've got a visitor at the house."
"Really?" Tohru asked excitedly. "Who?"
"I think I'll let you guess," Shigure responded playfully.
As they neared the front door, suddenly a cacophony of crashes and shouts sounded from the house's interior.
"I TOLD YOU TO GIVE ME A KISS, YOU STINGY, SELFISH JERK!!!"
"NO! I'M NOT GONNA GIVE YOU ANYTHING, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL LEAVE!!!"
A few more destructive noises and an orange-haired boy in a red shirt and khaki cargo pants went flying through the thin paper wall to land in a twitching, moaning heap in the yard.
Tohru's attention was not on the injured Kyo-she was used to seeing him like this almost every day of late-but on the pretty young woman standing in the gap where the wall used to be.
"Kagura!" Tohru exclaimed, running up to the porch to wrap the gray- eyed girl in a hug.
"Tohru!" Kagura replied. "It's so good to see you again!"
"Well, I thought maybe you kids would get lonely while I'm away, so I invited Kagura to stay with you for a while," Shigure commentated.
"This was a great idea, Shigure," Kagura said, and Tohru nodded briskly in agreement. The two of them were like peas in a pod whenever they were together.
"Well, at least you think so. I can think of one person who won't be so excited." Shigure darted a glance at the barely moving Kyo nearby.
"Oh, Miss Honda!" said Yuki, appearing behind Kagura. "You're home." He looked around at the torn paper and broken woodwork of the wall and said, "I came to see what was making all that racket, but I guess I should have suspected."
"I'm sorry," Kagura said, suddenly very humble, "I'll fix it."
"Kyo will help," Shigure said quickly, before Tohru could volunteer herself. The moody young man had risen to a sitting position in the puddle where he'd landed. He glared angrily at Shigure but kept his mouth shut for a change. He rubbed a swelling, red spot on his cheek tenderly and shot a baleful glance at Kagura. She must have nailed him pretty hard this time.
"Well, I for one don't want to stand out here and catch cold," Shigure declared heartily, "why don't we all go inside and Kagura and Kyo can repair their little mishap." Taking the two of them in with his eyes, he said, "Honestly, is this what it's going to be like when you two get married?"
Outraged, Kyo shouted back, "I'm NOT gonna marry her!" at the same time Kagura exclaimed, "I'll teach him to mind his manners or he'll get worse than what I did to him just now."
Tohru couldn't help smiling. A visit to Akito, and now a visit from Kagura. This was definitely turning out to be a very interesting day.
Author's Note: Well, I hope this chapter didn't suck too bad. It's kind of refreshing telling things from Hatori's P.O.V. for once, if a little sullen. I have plans for him that probably won't be revealed for a few chapters. And if my sister Charlie keeps bugging me, then I might have to change all those wonderful plans to spite her. (She's a big Hatori fan). And just for sporadic-ness, I wrote the last chapter just a while ago. Hey, who said I have to do it all in order?
