"And Then." for "Fruits Basket"
Disclaimer: The square root of any imaginary number multiplied by pi and subtracted from the tangent of an isosceles triangle divided by the average of the sum of all the sides is equivalent to this storyline is mine but the characters and Fruits Basket are the property of their respective owners. (I never claimed to be a mathematician. ^_^;)
Chapter Eight: Windows of Opportunity
Kyo Sohma sat lazily on the edge of a stone bridge that spanned a wide canal of water. The canal ran through the business district, but the only buildings around were seldom-used warehouses and construction yards. Hands in the pockets of his jacket, he wasn't really paying attention to anything. Just listening to the gurgling water and feeling the chilly spring air on his skin. Every now and then a voiceless breath of wind stirred his flaming hair. It wasn't that early in the morning, the sun was well up in the sky, not quite reaching the noon zenith, but everything was surprisingly peaceful and quiet, not a soul around. It helped Kyo relax a little. He'd been feeling strange lately, like he was disconnected from reality. He didn't really want to do anything-he couldn't concentrate long enough. His thoughts were scattered, too. They kept returning to a rainy night from last year.
Light footsteps on the paved sidewalk broke his meditation. He looked up and saw a person walking onto the bridge, coming towards him. For a second he couldn't see clearly who it was. As the person came into sharper focus, he noted it was a girl. A girl in a petite yellow dress carrying a grocery bag in her hand, humming a mindless ditty as if there was no one else around but her. Her eyes met Kyo's and she smiled, as golden as sunshine, like there was an aura of light floating around her.
"Oh, hello, Kyo!"
Despite himself, Kyo managed to smile, too. "Hey," he replied carelessly.
"What've you been doing out here, all by yourself?"
Kyo shifted and scratched the back of his head. "Nuthin'. Just thinkin'."
"Oh, well, I've just finished the shopping for tonight's dinner. How does octopus and tempura sound?"
"Sounds fine. Just as long as it's not leeks."
The tinkling sound of her laughter made him stare at her. He wondered if anyone had ever told her how pretty she was, as he got to his feet, took the plastic bag out of her hand and began to accompany her to the other side of the bridge, towards home. Tohru chattered away happily, telling him things he really wasn't paying attention to but were just buzzing wordlessly in his head. He nodded, but kept eyeing her with sideways glances. After a while they came to their old school. It was a Sunday, or so Kyo thought, and the grounds were empty. Come to think of it, there was hardly any traffic going by either. Kyo thought that was strange, but instantly forgot about it when Tohru walked blindly into a telephone pole.
Smack.
"Owie."
"Sheesh," Kyo said with mild exasperation. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"
"Sorry," Tohru apologized, rubbing her forehead where she'd banged it.
"What're you doin' apologizing to me for?" Kyo asked. "You're the one who's gonna get lump on your head."
"I'm just a scatterbrain, I know," was Tohru's response. "I can't really help it. Guess I'm just not the world's most graceful person."
As they started walking again, Kyo sank back into his reverie. Tohru gradually resumed the conversation, saying something indistinct about college and how excited she was and how much she was going to have to work to pay for it. Kyo simply let her words wash over him, occupied as he was with other things. They were just walking by another telephone pole when a sudden idea came over him.
"Here," he said, snatching her hand in his and pulling her a little closer to him. "You don't want to go runnin' into any more poles, now do you?."
"Huh?" Tohru looked at him curiously, but made no objection. "Oh, okay!" Then she just beamed like she always did and walked beside him, holding his hand. It made Kyo feel.comfortable. Warm inside. He smiled a little, too.
They turned an empty, people-less corner, and Kyo started to get an itchy feeling between his shoulder blades, the kind of feeling one got when he was being watched. He cast his eyes around suspiciously, still not really listening to Tohru, and spotted the source of his distraction. Up ahead, no more than half a block away, was another young brunette.
"Kagura?" Kyo said faintly. The other woman in his life, his older, much more violent fiancée-Kyo never even really thought of her as that; it was something only Kagura really believed in, with unwavering conviction-- was standing just up ahead, appearing as unexpectedly as if in a dream, looking at him with a hurt expression in her large, gray eyes. Tohru was still rambling on, not yet noticing the other Sohma.
Suddenly more than a little uncomfortable, Kyo threw his glance around and found a miraculous opportunity for escape-an old park across the street. He tightened his grasp on Tohru's hand and rushed across the empty street-just where were all the cars? This wasn't a very busy suburb, but still.-- Tohru made a faint sound of surprise and asked where he was taking her, but Kyo didn't reply. He had to get away from that betrayed look in Kagura's eyes. For crying out loud, he didn't even really like her! How come she had to be so obsessed with all that sissy love crap? She was just an obnoxious, temperamental, insane, whiny.GIRL! On an impulse that was equal parts irritation and guilt, Kyo led Tohru under the carved, arching gate of the entrance and down a lane that led to a bunch of nature shrines and water gardens, relieved to be out of Kagura's sight. He just hoped the two of them could get deep enough into the park so that Kagura couldn't find them even if she followed.
"Kyo, why are we going this way?" Tohru wondered, looking back towards the outside. "This isn't the way home."
"I know," Kyo replied somewhat gently, over his bubbling frustration. "I just wanted to take you somewhere real quick. Someplace nice. It's not too far." Maybe she'd be gone by now.
"Um.okay." Tohru agreed.
They crossed a brick-laid courtyard and followed the winding path under some black-barked cherry trees that were covered in foamy sprays of sweet, fragrant blossoms. Pink and white petals were drifting through the air like snowflakes. Tohru took the scenery in with bright eyes, making delighted coos as flower petals alighted on her dark hair.
Still hand in hand, Kyo took her over to a big pond with realistic- looking waterfalls fed by trickling streams. A wooden rail encircled the area, and Kyo and Tohru leaned out over it to look into the pond. Dazzlingly colorful koi were swimming around in slow circles through the clear water, whiskers twitching like a cat's.
"Wow! This place is so beautiful, Kyo! I'm glad you brought me." She stretched her neck out to get a better look at the fish.
"Yeah, I like this park a lot," Kyo commented casually. "I used to come here all the time when I was a kid, whenever I just wanted to get away from people." Like Kagura.
"It's a very peaceful place," Tohru said. She looked at the swimming fish for a minute or two longer before turning to Kyo and saying, "Don't you think we ought to head home now, though?"
Kyo twitched slightly, as though something else had been on his mind and he was just now snapping out of it.
"Oh.yeah."
"It's not that I don't like being here," Tohru said, as if trying to soothe any injured feelings, "it's just that I promised Yuki I'd help him in the garden today, since the weather's been so nice."
Kyo fixed his dark red eyes on her. Tohru started to move away from the fence, but Kyo held onto her hand, keeping her tethered to him.
"Tohru?" Kyo inquired, dropping her hand and flushing slightly as he struggled for words. "Do you.do you like him? That big-headed, stupid little Rat-Boy, Yuki?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, not exactly understanding his meaning.
"I mean do you like him. You know, as a boyfriend or somethin'."
Tohru's reaction was instantaneous. "Boyfriend?!" She jumped like she'd been electrocuted.
Kyo couldn't stand it any longer. "Tohru, I.! I.! Argh!" Kyo cursed under his breath, and slammed his fist down on the wooden rail. The thick post broke like a twig, and Kyo blinked in surprise. He made a mental note to start keeping his martial arts skills in check. He turned his attention to the young woman with him and quickly recalled his exasperation. Why couldn't he just say it?! He'd only thought about it dozens of times, rehearsed it in his head so that he wouldn't sound like a total idiot! He took a deep breath and braced himself. "Tohru, I.I LOVE YOU!" It took a moment to realize he'd shouted it. The echo bounced off the trees. Tohru stood before him, straight and rigid as a board, clear blue eyes as wide as saucers. Kyo, now regretting his outburst, squirmed inwardly, and now was as shy and nervous as a kitten. He felt so stupid he wouldn't have been surprised if he'd sprouted a tail and whiskers, twitching violently. Tohru was awe-struck. "Kyo." she barely uttered. Gathering his guts-Kyo was not about to let some girl get his thoughts into a tangle, not even Tohru-he breathed deeply and started to explain, feeling dumber and going redder ever moment. "Ever since that night.that night when I changed into my other form." He met her blue-eyed gaze and shifted his feet awkwardly. He tried folding his arms and leaning against the wooden rail, what was left of it, anyway, to appear more nonchalant. "You.you saved me that night. I would never have been able to make it through that pain if it hadn't been for you. And for these last couple of years.I." He felt like crawling into a hole. Guys like him just weren't cut out for this mushy, love crap.
"Kyo? What's the matter?" Tohru asked, looking concerned. "You don't.seem like yourself."
"That's because I'm not myself!" Kyo flinched, seeing he'd been a little harsh. He really wasn't used to talking to people like this. It made him feel extremely uneasy. "I.I care about you, Tohru," he admitted, almost reluctantly. "I." Could he really make himself say it again? Once was bad enough! "I love you."
"Kyo." Tohru's big blue eyes were like wide pools in her innocent face. She was staring at him as if she'd never seen him before. Finally, she managed to stammer, "I don't know what to say."
Nervous as a cat in a dog yard, Kyo tried to make his voice smooth.
This was it. "Then don't say anything." He leaned down to kiss her
pale pink lips and.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BE--!!!
Waking up with a start, Kyo flailed his arms and legs around, kicking off his blankets and sitting up jerkily. He nearly smashed the alarm clock that was next to his pillow and swore loudly. With a half-asleep groan he rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his messy orange hair. It took a few minutes for coherent thought to register and for the sleepy veil to dissolve. That was the third time. The third time in two weeks he'd had that dream. Well, maybe not that particular dream. But his dreams lately were starting to get weird. More and more often Tohru was becoming a part of them. And Kagura. And sometimes even Yuki-but definitely not in any romantic sense. Why did they keep bothering him? Why did he keep having them? As details floated back up in his mind, he raised a finger to his lips and touched them. Usually he didn't ever make it that far. This whole business with Tohru was driving him crazy. Kagura was driving him crazy! ALL GIRLS DROVE HIM CRAZY!!! Especially Yuki.
Kyo let out a full-lunged yell of irritation before falling back on his futon and not moving.
Hatori Sohma took off his lab coat and hung it up on a hook on the spotless white wall of his office in the city. It had been a very long day, and he was looking forward to going home and unwinding a little. Well, as much as he knew how, anyway. He'd probably just sit up with a cup of tea and a book. Taking up his worn, black briefcase, he switched off the lights of his empty office and locked the door. The long hallway outside was lined with closed doors and an elevator. Hatori only came in once a week, but the walk to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive at his floor, boarding, and descending to the first floor felt like an endless routine.
Not for the first time, he was considering closing this office. He'd run it for a few years before meeting Kana, but as his practice became more and more devoted to Akito and the rest of the Sohmas, he really had no time for anything else. Besides, the nurses were more than capable of handling things on their own.
Preoccupied with such thoughts, Hatori stepped off the elevator and into the lobby. It was past midnight-the only people to be seen were the custodians and the clerk, busy filing her nails, who ran the twenty-four hour phone line.
"Goodnight, Miss Jordan," he said as he passed the front desk.
"Goodnight, Sohma-sensei," was the yawning reply.
A cool, stirring breeze hit Hatori as soon as he emerged from the building, carrying the usual smells of exhaust and cheeseburgers from a nearby fast food place. Even at this hour the city was alive with lights and cars and people walking-or staggering, if they were young businessmen just back from drinking and karaoke parties-by, all bent on going home for the evening or last-minute shopping. As for Hatori, all he really cared for at the moment was something hot to drink and a mattress to sleep on.
When he came to a small diner with the words "Coffee Shop" written in big, English letters on the sign above the window, he paused and glanced inside. A young woman was sitting by herself at the counter, nursing a cup of something hot and steaming. She looked miserable. But what had snatched Hatori's attention was the fact that the woman had a striking resemblance to Kana. They almost looked identical.
Not really knowing the reason why, which bothered him more than anything, being the logical, reasonable person that he was, he entered the café and stood a ways off, studying the young woman through his long, dark bangs. She didn't move, didn't even touch her drink. Mildly curious, Hatori went over to the counter and ordered a coffee. For some reason, going home didn't seem to be as high on the agenda as it had a few minutes ago. Once he had his drink in front of him, he sat down next to the woman and put his briefcase up on the counter. He took a couple of slow swallows, enjoying the heat filling him up, then set the mug back down.
A sideways glance at the woman told him that she was crying. Narrow trails of tears were glistening on her cheeks, and she squeezed her eyes shut to stop them, but it didn't do anything to help. If anything, she just started crying harder.
"I'm sorry," the woman said to him, as if her weeping was a bother to him, "I hate it when I start crying in public." She wiped the tears away with a hand and gripped her cup of hot chocolate tightly.
"It's all right," Hatori replied to put her at ease. The woman turned her damp face to him. He noticed her eyes were green with flecks of brown in them, unlike Kana's. Hatori wasn't much of a psychiatrist-his field of specialization was physiology-but he asked anyway, "What's your name?"
The woman looked mildly surprised. "It's Chiharu Kamoshirou," she answered. "What's yours?"
"Hatori Sohman," Hatori replied.
"Oh. Nice to meet you," Chiharu said. "Do you work around here?"
"Yes, I'm a doctor."
"A doctor, huh? Wow." She smiled a little, but it was wry.
"What about you, Miss Kamoshirou?"
"Hehe, well, it's kind of funny you should ask. I'm a nurse at the Sohma clinic, actually. My shift ended a few hours ago. I'm surprised that I've never seen you there before."
Hatori grew thoughtful. It was a strange coincidence that she worked at the very same place Kana had before. Perhaps it was even the same position. "Yes, well, I don't attend my office very often. If you don't mind my asking, why are you sitting by yourself in a diner at this hour, crying? You should go home."
"Yeah, I know. I just needed to do some thinking." Her trembling smile faded and her eyes filled up with tears again. As they rolled down her face she said in a choked voice,
"You see, my fiancé left a message on my answering machine earlier today. I listened to it when I got home. He said.he said he was calling off the wedding. I always knew his parents never really liked the idea of him marrying me in the first place. They said they'd disown him if he didn't call it off. They're rich people, and Kyle-he's my ex-fiancé-said he can't keep going against their wishes. He wants to inherit the family business, you see."
Hatori was quietly thoughtful for a few minutes. He didn't know why he decided to tell her about his own past; it was something he rarely told anybody. But for some reason, he felt moved to do so. Maybe it was finding a partner in disappointment that motivated him.
"I understand something of what that's like. I was engaged once, too. But unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be."
"Really?" Chiharu was looking at him differently now. Her tears had subsided, although her eyes still looked tight. Then she looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's probably a very sensitive subject. I shouldn't have brought my problems up." She began muttering to herself. "Throwing all my problems on some total stranger! Honestly, what am I thinking?"
"You don't have to be sorry," Hatori said after another gulp of coffee. He was reminded a little of Tohru Honda, right then, and smiled slightly, despite himself. "Sometimes people just need a listening ear to get through their problems."
"Well, thanks for listening," Chiharu said, still abashed. She looked down at her wristwatch. "I suppose I'd better get going if I'm going to catch the last train home." She rose to her feet and gave Hatori a weak grin. "I'm feeling a little bit better already. I hope we run into each other again, Sohma-sensei."
"Perhaps we shall," Hatori replied politely. Once she was gone, he picked up his coffee and drained the last of it. Perhaps we shall.
Author's Notes: Hehe, one of my friends suggested I let Hatori get some golfing done in this chapter, but I figured, "Nah, the poor guy needs a friend. Besides, then he can have someone to go golfing with!" Then she suggested snorkeling, but that's going a little too far. Ugh, this chapter was SO hard to write, especially when trying to keep Kyo in character. Maybe I should take a long vacation from writing, maybe only a year or two, then pick up where I left off.......Haha, just kidding. w Well, Merry Christmas everyone, and special thanks to all those people who have sent in reviews for the fic, especially Caiti! Love you lots, and have a great holiday!!! --Yuriko
Disclaimer: The square root of any imaginary number multiplied by pi and subtracted from the tangent of an isosceles triangle divided by the average of the sum of all the sides is equivalent to this storyline is mine but the characters and Fruits Basket are the property of their respective owners. (I never claimed to be a mathematician. ^_^;)
Chapter Eight: Windows of Opportunity
Kyo Sohma sat lazily on the edge of a stone bridge that spanned a wide canal of water. The canal ran through the business district, but the only buildings around were seldom-used warehouses and construction yards. Hands in the pockets of his jacket, he wasn't really paying attention to anything. Just listening to the gurgling water and feeling the chilly spring air on his skin. Every now and then a voiceless breath of wind stirred his flaming hair. It wasn't that early in the morning, the sun was well up in the sky, not quite reaching the noon zenith, but everything was surprisingly peaceful and quiet, not a soul around. It helped Kyo relax a little. He'd been feeling strange lately, like he was disconnected from reality. He didn't really want to do anything-he couldn't concentrate long enough. His thoughts were scattered, too. They kept returning to a rainy night from last year.
Light footsteps on the paved sidewalk broke his meditation. He looked up and saw a person walking onto the bridge, coming towards him. For a second he couldn't see clearly who it was. As the person came into sharper focus, he noted it was a girl. A girl in a petite yellow dress carrying a grocery bag in her hand, humming a mindless ditty as if there was no one else around but her. Her eyes met Kyo's and she smiled, as golden as sunshine, like there was an aura of light floating around her.
"Oh, hello, Kyo!"
Despite himself, Kyo managed to smile, too. "Hey," he replied carelessly.
"What've you been doing out here, all by yourself?"
Kyo shifted and scratched the back of his head. "Nuthin'. Just thinkin'."
"Oh, well, I've just finished the shopping for tonight's dinner. How does octopus and tempura sound?"
"Sounds fine. Just as long as it's not leeks."
The tinkling sound of her laughter made him stare at her. He wondered if anyone had ever told her how pretty she was, as he got to his feet, took the plastic bag out of her hand and began to accompany her to the other side of the bridge, towards home. Tohru chattered away happily, telling him things he really wasn't paying attention to but were just buzzing wordlessly in his head. He nodded, but kept eyeing her with sideways glances. After a while they came to their old school. It was a Sunday, or so Kyo thought, and the grounds were empty. Come to think of it, there was hardly any traffic going by either. Kyo thought that was strange, but instantly forgot about it when Tohru walked blindly into a telephone pole.
Smack.
"Owie."
"Sheesh," Kyo said with mild exasperation. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"
"Sorry," Tohru apologized, rubbing her forehead where she'd banged it.
"What're you doin' apologizing to me for?" Kyo asked. "You're the one who's gonna get lump on your head."
"I'm just a scatterbrain, I know," was Tohru's response. "I can't really help it. Guess I'm just not the world's most graceful person."
As they started walking again, Kyo sank back into his reverie. Tohru gradually resumed the conversation, saying something indistinct about college and how excited she was and how much she was going to have to work to pay for it. Kyo simply let her words wash over him, occupied as he was with other things. They were just walking by another telephone pole when a sudden idea came over him.
"Here," he said, snatching her hand in his and pulling her a little closer to him. "You don't want to go runnin' into any more poles, now do you?."
"Huh?" Tohru looked at him curiously, but made no objection. "Oh, okay!" Then she just beamed like she always did and walked beside him, holding his hand. It made Kyo feel.comfortable. Warm inside. He smiled a little, too.
They turned an empty, people-less corner, and Kyo started to get an itchy feeling between his shoulder blades, the kind of feeling one got when he was being watched. He cast his eyes around suspiciously, still not really listening to Tohru, and spotted the source of his distraction. Up ahead, no more than half a block away, was another young brunette.
"Kagura?" Kyo said faintly. The other woman in his life, his older, much more violent fiancée-Kyo never even really thought of her as that; it was something only Kagura really believed in, with unwavering conviction-- was standing just up ahead, appearing as unexpectedly as if in a dream, looking at him with a hurt expression in her large, gray eyes. Tohru was still rambling on, not yet noticing the other Sohma.
Suddenly more than a little uncomfortable, Kyo threw his glance around and found a miraculous opportunity for escape-an old park across the street. He tightened his grasp on Tohru's hand and rushed across the empty street-just where were all the cars? This wasn't a very busy suburb, but still.-- Tohru made a faint sound of surprise and asked where he was taking her, but Kyo didn't reply. He had to get away from that betrayed look in Kagura's eyes. For crying out loud, he didn't even really like her! How come she had to be so obsessed with all that sissy love crap? She was just an obnoxious, temperamental, insane, whiny.GIRL! On an impulse that was equal parts irritation and guilt, Kyo led Tohru under the carved, arching gate of the entrance and down a lane that led to a bunch of nature shrines and water gardens, relieved to be out of Kagura's sight. He just hoped the two of them could get deep enough into the park so that Kagura couldn't find them even if she followed.
"Kyo, why are we going this way?" Tohru wondered, looking back towards the outside. "This isn't the way home."
"I know," Kyo replied somewhat gently, over his bubbling frustration. "I just wanted to take you somewhere real quick. Someplace nice. It's not too far." Maybe she'd be gone by now.
"Um.okay." Tohru agreed.
They crossed a brick-laid courtyard and followed the winding path under some black-barked cherry trees that were covered in foamy sprays of sweet, fragrant blossoms. Pink and white petals were drifting through the air like snowflakes. Tohru took the scenery in with bright eyes, making delighted coos as flower petals alighted on her dark hair.
Still hand in hand, Kyo took her over to a big pond with realistic- looking waterfalls fed by trickling streams. A wooden rail encircled the area, and Kyo and Tohru leaned out over it to look into the pond. Dazzlingly colorful koi were swimming around in slow circles through the clear water, whiskers twitching like a cat's.
"Wow! This place is so beautiful, Kyo! I'm glad you brought me." She stretched her neck out to get a better look at the fish.
"Yeah, I like this park a lot," Kyo commented casually. "I used to come here all the time when I was a kid, whenever I just wanted to get away from people." Like Kagura.
"It's a very peaceful place," Tohru said. She looked at the swimming fish for a minute or two longer before turning to Kyo and saying, "Don't you think we ought to head home now, though?"
Kyo twitched slightly, as though something else had been on his mind and he was just now snapping out of it.
"Oh.yeah."
"It's not that I don't like being here," Tohru said, as if trying to soothe any injured feelings, "it's just that I promised Yuki I'd help him in the garden today, since the weather's been so nice."
Kyo fixed his dark red eyes on her. Tohru started to move away from the fence, but Kyo held onto her hand, keeping her tethered to him.
"Tohru?" Kyo inquired, dropping her hand and flushing slightly as he struggled for words. "Do you.do you like him? That big-headed, stupid little Rat-Boy, Yuki?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, not exactly understanding his meaning.
"I mean do you like him. You know, as a boyfriend or somethin'."
Tohru's reaction was instantaneous. "Boyfriend?!" She jumped like she'd been electrocuted.
Kyo couldn't stand it any longer. "Tohru, I.! I.! Argh!" Kyo cursed under his breath, and slammed his fist down on the wooden rail. The thick post broke like a twig, and Kyo blinked in surprise. He made a mental note to start keeping his martial arts skills in check. He turned his attention to the young woman with him and quickly recalled his exasperation. Why couldn't he just say it?! He'd only thought about it dozens of times, rehearsed it in his head so that he wouldn't sound like a total idiot! He took a deep breath and braced himself. "Tohru, I.I LOVE YOU!" It took a moment to realize he'd shouted it. The echo bounced off the trees. Tohru stood before him, straight and rigid as a board, clear blue eyes as wide as saucers. Kyo, now regretting his outburst, squirmed inwardly, and now was as shy and nervous as a kitten. He felt so stupid he wouldn't have been surprised if he'd sprouted a tail and whiskers, twitching violently. Tohru was awe-struck. "Kyo." she barely uttered. Gathering his guts-Kyo was not about to let some girl get his thoughts into a tangle, not even Tohru-he breathed deeply and started to explain, feeling dumber and going redder ever moment. "Ever since that night.that night when I changed into my other form." He met her blue-eyed gaze and shifted his feet awkwardly. He tried folding his arms and leaning against the wooden rail, what was left of it, anyway, to appear more nonchalant. "You.you saved me that night. I would never have been able to make it through that pain if it hadn't been for you. And for these last couple of years.I." He felt like crawling into a hole. Guys like him just weren't cut out for this mushy, love crap.
"Kyo? What's the matter?" Tohru asked, looking concerned. "You don't.seem like yourself."
"That's because I'm not myself!" Kyo flinched, seeing he'd been a little harsh. He really wasn't used to talking to people like this. It made him feel extremely uneasy. "I.I care about you, Tohru," he admitted, almost reluctantly. "I." Could he really make himself say it again? Once was bad enough! "I love you."
"Kyo." Tohru's big blue eyes were like wide pools in her innocent face. She was staring at him as if she'd never seen him before. Finally, she managed to stammer, "I don't know what to say."
Nervous as a cat in a dog yard, Kyo tried to make his voice smooth.
This was it. "Then don't say anything." He leaned down to kiss her
pale pink lips and.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BE--!!!
Waking up with a start, Kyo flailed his arms and legs around, kicking off his blankets and sitting up jerkily. He nearly smashed the alarm clock that was next to his pillow and swore loudly. With a half-asleep groan he rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his messy orange hair. It took a few minutes for coherent thought to register and for the sleepy veil to dissolve. That was the third time. The third time in two weeks he'd had that dream. Well, maybe not that particular dream. But his dreams lately were starting to get weird. More and more often Tohru was becoming a part of them. And Kagura. And sometimes even Yuki-but definitely not in any romantic sense. Why did they keep bothering him? Why did he keep having them? As details floated back up in his mind, he raised a finger to his lips and touched them. Usually he didn't ever make it that far. This whole business with Tohru was driving him crazy. Kagura was driving him crazy! ALL GIRLS DROVE HIM CRAZY!!! Especially Yuki.
Kyo let out a full-lunged yell of irritation before falling back on his futon and not moving.
Hatori Sohma took off his lab coat and hung it up on a hook on the spotless white wall of his office in the city. It had been a very long day, and he was looking forward to going home and unwinding a little. Well, as much as he knew how, anyway. He'd probably just sit up with a cup of tea and a book. Taking up his worn, black briefcase, he switched off the lights of his empty office and locked the door. The long hallway outside was lined with closed doors and an elevator. Hatori only came in once a week, but the walk to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive at his floor, boarding, and descending to the first floor felt like an endless routine.
Not for the first time, he was considering closing this office. He'd run it for a few years before meeting Kana, but as his practice became more and more devoted to Akito and the rest of the Sohmas, he really had no time for anything else. Besides, the nurses were more than capable of handling things on their own.
Preoccupied with such thoughts, Hatori stepped off the elevator and into the lobby. It was past midnight-the only people to be seen were the custodians and the clerk, busy filing her nails, who ran the twenty-four hour phone line.
"Goodnight, Miss Jordan," he said as he passed the front desk.
"Goodnight, Sohma-sensei," was the yawning reply.
A cool, stirring breeze hit Hatori as soon as he emerged from the building, carrying the usual smells of exhaust and cheeseburgers from a nearby fast food place. Even at this hour the city was alive with lights and cars and people walking-or staggering, if they were young businessmen just back from drinking and karaoke parties-by, all bent on going home for the evening or last-minute shopping. As for Hatori, all he really cared for at the moment was something hot to drink and a mattress to sleep on.
When he came to a small diner with the words "Coffee Shop" written in big, English letters on the sign above the window, he paused and glanced inside. A young woman was sitting by herself at the counter, nursing a cup of something hot and steaming. She looked miserable. But what had snatched Hatori's attention was the fact that the woman had a striking resemblance to Kana. They almost looked identical.
Not really knowing the reason why, which bothered him more than anything, being the logical, reasonable person that he was, he entered the café and stood a ways off, studying the young woman through his long, dark bangs. She didn't move, didn't even touch her drink. Mildly curious, Hatori went over to the counter and ordered a coffee. For some reason, going home didn't seem to be as high on the agenda as it had a few minutes ago. Once he had his drink in front of him, he sat down next to the woman and put his briefcase up on the counter. He took a couple of slow swallows, enjoying the heat filling him up, then set the mug back down.
A sideways glance at the woman told him that she was crying. Narrow trails of tears were glistening on her cheeks, and she squeezed her eyes shut to stop them, but it didn't do anything to help. If anything, she just started crying harder.
"I'm sorry," the woman said to him, as if her weeping was a bother to him, "I hate it when I start crying in public." She wiped the tears away with a hand and gripped her cup of hot chocolate tightly.
"It's all right," Hatori replied to put her at ease. The woman turned her damp face to him. He noticed her eyes were green with flecks of brown in them, unlike Kana's. Hatori wasn't much of a psychiatrist-his field of specialization was physiology-but he asked anyway, "What's your name?"
The woman looked mildly surprised. "It's Chiharu Kamoshirou," she answered. "What's yours?"
"Hatori Sohman," Hatori replied.
"Oh. Nice to meet you," Chiharu said. "Do you work around here?"
"Yes, I'm a doctor."
"A doctor, huh? Wow." She smiled a little, but it was wry.
"What about you, Miss Kamoshirou?"
"Hehe, well, it's kind of funny you should ask. I'm a nurse at the Sohma clinic, actually. My shift ended a few hours ago. I'm surprised that I've never seen you there before."
Hatori grew thoughtful. It was a strange coincidence that she worked at the very same place Kana had before. Perhaps it was even the same position. "Yes, well, I don't attend my office very often. If you don't mind my asking, why are you sitting by yourself in a diner at this hour, crying? You should go home."
"Yeah, I know. I just needed to do some thinking." Her trembling smile faded and her eyes filled up with tears again. As they rolled down her face she said in a choked voice,
"You see, my fiancé left a message on my answering machine earlier today. I listened to it when I got home. He said.he said he was calling off the wedding. I always knew his parents never really liked the idea of him marrying me in the first place. They said they'd disown him if he didn't call it off. They're rich people, and Kyle-he's my ex-fiancé-said he can't keep going against their wishes. He wants to inherit the family business, you see."
Hatori was quietly thoughtful for a few minutes. He didn't know why he decided to tell her about his own past; it was something he rarely told anybody. But for some reason, he felt moved to do so. Maybe it was finding a partner in disappointment that motivated him.
"I understand something of what that's like. I was engaged once, too. But unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be."
"Really?" Chiharu was looking at him differently now. Her tears had subsided, although her eyes still looked tight. Then she looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's probably a very sensitive subject. I shouldn't have brought my problems up." She began muttering to herself. "Throwing all my problems on some total stranger! Honestly, what am I thinking?"
"You don't have to be sorry," Hatori said after another gulp of coffee. He was reminded a little of Tohru Honda, right then, and smiled slightly, despite himself. "Sometimes people just need a listening ear to get through their problems."
"Well, thanks for listening," Chiharu said, still abashed. She looked down at her wristwatch. "I suppose I'd better get going if I'm going to catch the last train home." She rose to her feet and gave Hatori a weak grin. "I'm feeling a little bit better already. I hope we run into each other again, Sohma-sensei."
"Perhaps we shall," Hatori replied politely. Once she was gone, he picked up his coffee and drained the last of it. Perhaps we shall.
Author's Notes: Hehe, one of my friends suggested I let Hatori get some golfing done in this chapter, but I figured, "Nah, the poor guy needs a friend. Besides, then he can have someone to go golfing with!" Then she suggested snorkeling, but that's going a little too far. Ugh, this chapter was SO hard to write, especially when trying to keep Kyo in character. Maybe I should take a long vacation from writing, maybe only a year or two, then pick up where I left off.......Haha, just kidding. w Well, Merry Christmas everyone, and special thanks to all those people who have sent in reviews for the fic, especially Caiti! Love you lots, and have a great holiday!!! --Yuriko