A/N: I realized that I probably can't update every day or so. If I do, I'll be caught up on here and it will take a week to update everytime because I have to write it. So I might not update as often as we're getting closer to the end...Even though there's still 14 chapters to go...I'm actually working on the last chapter right now! So...either that or I'll have to write faster... :D

ALSO: Don't take the first sentence too literally.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket.

Kyo burst through the paper door. "Hey!" he said, for once, nervous. "She left the house again! I can't find her anywhere!" he panicked.

"Hm?" Shigure set down his cup and looked up at him. "Tohru said she was going to a friend's house. It's no secret," he told him. "She announced it at dinner last night, remember?"

Yuki leaned his head on his hand with his elbow up on the table. "Really?" Kyo asked.

"Can't you even listen to people when they're talking?" Yuki asked tiredly.

"Shut up!" Kyo's voice rose at those two words. "It's her fault for not going out more often." He walked away, his face tinted pink. He clenched his teeth and sighed through them.

"It just goes to show how much a part of this house Tohru-Kun has become. Where is the flower of our humble home?" Shigure said. He smiled.

"What was that?" Yuki's eyes narrowed as he said it.

"What are you, stupid?!" Kyo shot.

Tohru stood at the front gate of the Sohma estate. She looked at the plaque with the family name on it. "It's so grand…" she muttered to herself. The Sohmas really are an important family. she thought. As promised, she didn't tell anyone about this visit. She told Shigure, Yuki, and Kyo that she was going to a friend's house.

Tohru adjusted her scarf. "Tohru!" she heard a young voice shout. Instinctively, she screamed, having no idea at the moment where the voice had come from, even though she recognized it. Her head snapped up, and at least ten feet above her, Momiji was sitting at the top of the gate.

"Mo—Momi—Loo—Look ou—L—Loo—o—" she stuttered. She meant, 'Momiji, look out'.

"You're right on time, come in!" he said to her. Momiji jumped down behind the gate. He opened it from the other side and held his arms wide open. "Welcome to the Sohma estate!" he told Tohru. "Ha'ri lives over here," he told her as he started to walk down a rock path. Tohru followed, amazed at the beauty.

The grounds were huge. It was quiet, as if no one lived there, like its own little town. The atmosphere, though, was definitely not good on Tohru's nerves. As Tohru followed Momiji to Hatori's home, which Momiji had just mentioned was separate from the main house, a small figure watched from their window.

Momiji lead all the way to Hatori's house, and they walked in through the already open door. "I'm glad you're here," Hatori said in a serious tone. Tohru's nerves were exhausting her, and she leaned over, panting. "Was it that long a trek?" Hatori asked.

"No…" Tohru told him. She straightened. "Hello. Um…I'm sorry…! I didn't bring anything!" she apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Hatori told her. "Momiji, get us something to drink," he requested.

"Ja!" Momiji called back happily, as he ran off to the kitchen.

"Sit wherever you like," Hatori offered, walking off the same way as Momiji.

Tohru took a seat on a small mat that was in front of his desk. There were shelves behind his desk. There was a picture on the third shelf next to a vase of flowers. A woman was in the picture. She had chin-length light brown hair, and dark eyes, like Hatori's. Her hair was parted right in the middle.

Tohru didn't expect Hatori to have a picture of a woman. She definitely was too young to be his mother. She looked only a year or two younger than him. To her, Hatori seemed so solemn. Every word he said sounded angry. Tohru tensed and grabbed the fabric of her skirt. She gasped, thinking, Could it be that the important thing that he wanted to talk about was…my incompetence?!

Momiji appeared next to her, holding out a mug of hot liquid. By the way he looked; Momiji knew that something was up. "Tohru? Tohru, are you sick? Should we have Ha'ri examine you?"

"I—I—It's all right, I'm fine!" she said a tad bit too quickly. At least it wasn't anything that a check-up could fix. Hatori walked in and sat at his desk with hot tea, too, and Momiji turned to him.

"Hatori-San, you're a doctor, right?" he asked excitedly. "Don't you have an office at a hospital?"

Hatori set down his mug and looked up. "Ah? Oh. I don't work at a hospital." He looked at Tohru. "I'm the Sohma family doctor; I don't examine anybody outside of the family," he told her. "Well, half of it is taking care of Akito." He smiled. Of course, the head of the family needed special care. "You could say he specializes in getting sick."

Akito must have a weak body, Tohru assumed. Tohru was sitting facing the open backdoor now, and she looked through. Momiji was lying down on his stomach beside her. "It's quiet, isn't it?" Tohru noticed.

"Today, the people "inside" are at the inner gate, preparing for the New Year's celebration," Momiji explained. "New Year's is the biggest even of the year!" he reminded her with a bright smile. "Even "outside" people help. Everyone's really busy," he told her.

Tohru was slightly lost. "Inside? Outside?" she asked wonderingly.

Momiji gasped and smiled up at her. "Remember that tree lined road you took to the main house?" Tohru remembered. There was a small path in between them, and houses on the other sides of the trees. Then at the end of the path was the main gate, where the "inside" is. "All of the people who live along that are Sohmas. "Outside", there's about ein hundert…" he estimated. "…one hundred people. "Inside there should be about fifty."

Tohru had never heard of anything like it. "Really?! Th—that's amazing!"

"It is?"

"Well, it's not exactly common," Hatori reminded.

Tohru felt out of place. This is an entire world that she, Tohru Honda, your ordinary orphan, would probably never see. She looked down.

"People who live "inside"," Hatori continued, "are people like us, and people who know our secret. Shii-Chan and Yuki used to live on the "inside" too. But Kyo lived "outside"." Hatori looked over at Momiji. "When you grow up, you can have a house and live "outside" like Shii-Chan."

Hatori sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Turning it around…" Tohru lifted her head. "…that means there are few people who know about the secret, even inside the family. It's unthinkable that a complete stranger like you should know such a secret. Normally, I would have suppressed their memories immediately."

Tohru widened her eyes and looked at him, scared. 'The one who suppressed all their memories was Hatori…Suppressed….suppressed…' the words ran.

"But Akito didn't give that order, and even allowed you to live with them," Hatori said. You could tell that he was annoyed by it just by the tone of his voice. "I've been thinking about that, and I've come to a conclusion," he stated.

"C—conclusion?" Tohru asked nervously.

"Do you enjoy living at Shigure's house?" he asked her.

"Yes! Very much!" she said without a thought. She loved it there.

"It think it's best..." Hatori wheeled his chair over to where her and Momiji were sitting on the floor. "…if you leave that place. Do not involve yourself with the Sohma family anymore."

"Oh--," she tried to say. Hatori kept going.

"I'm sure Shigure didn't make clear the gravity of our condition. The Sohma family continues to be possessed by vengeful spirits. It's not the fun and games you might think." His words became angrier. "It's bizarre. Sinister. Cursed."

Tohru watched his serious face. "Before you regret getting involved with the Sohma, get out." Tohru's eyes widened, and she was speechless. "Akito is trying to use you," Hatori warned her.

There was a ring from the doorbell. "Wait here, I'll be just a moment," Hatori said, walking out. Tohru had never seen Momiji look so sad, nor did she expect it. He seemed like such a happy and optimistic person. And what Hatori said about her being used by Akito…only confused her further. After a long silence, Momiji looked up at her.

"About Ha'ri…" Momiji said quietly, "…he's almost blind in his left eye." Tohru remembered seeing his left eye. He only had bangs over that one.

"How?" Tohru asked just as quietly.

"Ha'ri used to have a girlfriend. Her name was Kana," he told her. "She was his assistant." Momiji stood up to open the back door. "She was a very sweet person. Even when she found out Ha'ri was possessed by a vengeful spirit, she laughed and said she didn't care." The picture must have been of her.

So Hatori is one of the zodiac! Tohru thought. She smiled. At least, until she heard the rest of the story.

"They were engaged to be married. But…Akito got mad." Momiji sat down on the edge of the porch. "He got really mad and went into a rage. He wouldn't allow their marriage. And he hurt Ha'ri's eye." Momiji looked out at the estate. "But Ha'ri didn't blame Akito. Instead, Kana blamed herself. She kept agonizing, saying that it was her fault Ha'ri's eye got hurt. Eventually, she got heartsick."

"So, Ha'ri erased Kana's memories. He couldn't watch her fall apart," Momiji's sad voice broke on the last word. "So he erased the time when they loved each other. Kana left. Poor Ha'ri…" Momiji trailed off.

"He cried…but, he didn't blame Akito."

"Why?" Tohru asked. It must have been painful…she assumed.

Momiji looked at the ground. "Because that…is part of the curse," he told her. "That's why, I don't know what Akito is thinking, but I understand a little of how Ha'ri feels. Ha'ri doesn't want to send Tohru away like Kana."

Tohru's eyes got watery. He didn't want to get rid of her. "He doesn't want…Tohru to be hurt like Kana was," Momiji said.

Tohru looked down and tears fell on her knees. Momiji turned to see her reaction. "Eh?! Are you crying? Why?" he asked. Momiji rushed over to her and kneeled down in front of her so he was at her eye level. Tohru had her face in her hands. "Did…Did I make Tohru cry…? Sorry…I'm sorry." Tears even almost came to his own eyes.

"No…that's not it," Tohru said as she brought her hands down. "Hatori-San is…too kind a person."

Hatori even heard her say that as he was walking down the hallway back into the office. He stopped before he was through the entrance.

Tohru was crying because he was worried about her, even though he was the one who needed kindness, now. "I'm glad..." Tohru said as she closed her eyes. "I'm just so glad that I got to meet everyone." Tears of hers kept falling. "Even if I am being used for some purpose…giving me the life I have now, I want to say thank you."

Hatori's guest smiled, standing behind him. Hatori had the same expression.

"I will never regret that I got involved. I never could," Tohru said. "I'm the way I am now…because of Sohma-Kun and the others."

Momiji looked up at her with sad eyes. "What about me…?" he asked. "Are you happy you met me?"

"Of course!"

Momiji smiled warmly. "Tohru is like a mutti, she makes me feel safe!" he said, using his German.

"It's all right," someone said from behind Hatori. Shigure leaned over to look at them from behind him. "We didn't get you involved in our mess intending to hurt you Tohru-Kun." Shigure smiled. "And we're not using you," he added quickly.

Tohru looked up at him, wildly surprised. "Sh—Shigure-San?!" Momiji just smiled brightly and waved.

Shigure stepped out from behind Hatori and walked over to them. "Anyway, Hatori exaggerates." He put his hands on his hips and added, "And he likes to boss people around," which had nothing to do with the subject.

"Wh—why did you come here?" Tohru asked.

"Intuition! Intuition, my dear Tohru-Kun!" He did the 'L' chin pose as usual. "A novelist must have a sharp sixth sense!"

"Stop lying," Hatori said. "You just came to see how preparations for New Year's were going. And then to see Akito."

"Average people always envy genius."

"Would you just stop living like a jellyfish?"

Tohru looked at Momiji, expecting something. "They act like that but they really are friends," he assured her. He was still smiling excitedly and happily as usual.

Shigure wagged a finger at Hatori. "Haa-San, if you worry too much, you'll go bald you know." Hatori just looked at him. "I keep telling you Akito doesn't mean any harm, but you won't trust me even a little. And you're even scaring Tohru-Kun," he said accusingly. "What would you do if she really left?"

Hatori looked down and started to walk away, but stopped when Tohru's voice interrupted. "Um, I'm…it's okay. Thank you so much for worrying about me," she said. "But I still want to live there…" she trailed off.

"Here." Hatori turned and balanced a small silver camera on the top of her head. "I'm giving this to you before I forget. It's the camera I used at the festival."

"Eh?! Why?!"

Hatori looked at her like she was mad. "Why…?" He didn't understand what she meant. "Wasn't that the agreement?" he asked confusedly. "That if you came here I would give you the camera?"

He…he never said that! She ran through everything he had said at the festival. He never said anything about the camera.

"What's in the camera? Huh? Huh? What is it?" Shigure asked excitedly.

"Quiet, you hack." Hatori looked over at Momiji, who…Guess what? Was still smiling. And he looked over to Tohru. "Oh…you still haven't met Akito," he realized.

"Ah, it's no good," Shigure said. Tohru took the camera off her head, not wanting to drop it, and held it in her hands. "I went to see him earlier and got shooed away. I guess he's in a bad mood."

Tohru instantly panicked, as she did at anything. "Ah! Oh, um! P—please, don't worry about it! More importantly, Hatori-San, you're one of the Chinese zodiac, right?!" Hatori gave a short quick nod. "Which year are you?" Tohru asked excitedly.

There was a long, long silence. Momiji and Shigure started to giggle. Then they burst out laughing.

"That's a great question, Tohru-Kun!" Shigure said in between laughs. "Oh wow, this is really going to be goo—"

"Shigure…" Hatori growled, appearing behind him. His words rushed out, "I will tell everyone in the publishing industry everything I know about you. Starting from when you were four years old…"

"Sorry, Tohru-Kun! My lips are sealed," Shigure apologized quickly.

"You know she's going to find out someday!" Momiji laughed.

"No! And you, stop asking stupid questions."

"Y—yes sir." Tohru misunderstood. Was there a…funny zodiac sign?

Hatori stood face to face with Tohru now. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "…about today. I kept making you cry, didn't I?"

Shigure and Momiji looked over slightly, and Tohru gave a small smile. Hatori couldn't help it, he smiled, too.

Soon after, Shigure and Tohru left to go back home. Hatori stood with his arms crossed, and Momiji waved childishly.

After they were outside of the gate, Shigure spoke. "That Hatori," he said. "Calling you out here like that and causing trouble…" he shook his head. "But he's not a bad guy, really."

Tohru walked alongside Shigure and kept pace. "Yes…" she said slowly, a smile spreading across her face. "He seems like a very kind person."

She felt terrible about what had happened to Hatori. I…changed the subject from Akito-San, even though Hatori-San seemed fine when he said his name. Tohru didn't think he'd feel comfortable talking about him. Akito had hurt him, and made him almost completely blind in one eye. Does he like him? Is he afraid of him? As Hatori said, 'That is part of the curse.'

The trees rustled behind them, and Tohru turned her head to look behind her while Shigure continued walking. She saw an adult figure with his eyes narrowed, staring at her. He rested his head on the window sill and an arm of his hung out of the window. Tohru stared, as he glared back. He stood up and walked away from the window, but Tohru couldn't move.

"Tohru-Kun!" Shigure called, at least thirty feet apart from her now. "If we get separated, you'll get lost," he warned her. It was a rather large estate, even the "outside". Tohru staggered backwards a few steps, without turning, and paused again, staring at the window. Tohru didn't know who she'd just seen, but she thought she had an idea.

Shigure turned again, noticing the lack of tapping footsteps. "Tohru-Kun?"

Tohru still stood frozen. "Shigure-San…" She whipped her head around to look at him confusedly, with her eyebrows pulled together. "What is the curse?" Barely a pause, and she gasped. She turned around all the way to face him. "Do…Do I have to do anything?" she asked nervously.

Shigure smiled. "You just need to be you." She looked at him. "As for the rest…I think it's still too early to tell you. I'm sorry," he apologized.

Tohru didn't say a word, but on the way home, she couldn't help but keep running through all that was happening so quickly. The Sohma family. I feel like I've learned a lot, and yet, I haven't learned a thing. I have a strange feeling about today. Will the day ever come when I understand everything about the Sohmas, good and bad? she wondered. The day when…I meet him? She remembered the guy at the window in the main house as she was leaving with Shigure. Was that…Akito?

In only a few minutes, as it felt to Tohru, they stepped through the door and into their dining room. Yuki was sitting down, slumped over the table with his arms scattered about. Kyo was lying next to the table, his feet under.

"…It's true," Shigure said. "A kotatsu can even put little devils to sleep. He looked down at them. He went over and shook both of them a few times. "Hey, you two, wake up. Don't you want dinner?" Neither of them moved.

Tohru smiled slightly and watched the three. Worrying won't help, she thought to herself. Whatever will be, whatever will be. Whatever won't, won't. That's life. She held back a giggle, noticing that Shigure was definitely rubbing off on her. Que será será, she told herself.

Tohru watched Yuki and Kyo sleep peacefully. That's right. No matter what, the way I feel about them won't change, she knew. And the days I live in this house, are precious, precious days.

Shigure stifled a laugh, coming back from the kitchen. Tohru hadn't noticed that he left. He held something behind his laugh. He held them out and whispered excitedly, "Let's stick roots up their noses!"

"We…We can't!" Tohru whispered back worriedly. "Th—that would hurt!"

"Okay, then leeks," he decided, giggling.

A/N: Roots up the nose...OW...

R+R :D

NicholeRose: I think I forgot to answer one thing....Yes! I've read the entire manga! ^.^