DISCLAIMER - see chapter one
"Alright, you want to leave everything to your cousin Momiji Sohma, correct?" Sakai asked as he typed it into his laptop, Hatori watching the middle aged man with disinterest. Sakai was middle aged, but looked a lot younger, his black hair tied back loosely, his bangs hanging down over the rim of his rectangular glasses, his blue eyes staring at the screen with a look of deep concentration,
"Yes, that's right." Hatori replied, Sakai nodding as he typed away at the keys quietly, the room silent apart from the steady click of the keys. I wonder how long thing is going to take…I may not be strapped down so loosely next time, I have to get this over with as quickly as possible! Hatori thought as Sakai stopped typing,
"Alright, why don't we sign this once you're out of the hospital?" Sakai suggested with a smile as he got to his feet, "You need to rest after all." He added as he closed the laptop and began packing it away,
"No, I want this done as soon as possible." Hatori replied firmly, Sakai pausing as he closed his bag, sighing awkwardly as he massaged his neck and looked at the door, something in his manner telling Hatori things weren't going to go his way today,
"Look, Sohma-san…I can't let you sign this until you've been discharged." Sakai stated as he looked at Hatori, who sighed and closed his eyes, Damnit! I knew it! Patient files and such are supposed to be completely confidential! He thought angrily as he opened his eyes and glared at the wall, "I am sorry, but from what Shigure Sohma-san told me on the phone you're not feeling yourself right now, so legally I can't let you sign until you're out of the hospital with a clean bill of health." Sakai added apologetically,
"Shigure…" Hatori said quietly as he thought of all the things he would love to do to his cousin if he got hold of him, unfortunately by the time he gets back I'll probably be tied down too tightly to get out of these damned things and ring his neck! He thought with a scowl, "I understand, we'll sort this out later then." Hatori replied, Sakai quickly taking his leave, Damnit! I'll have to leave Momiji and hope that Shigure takes care of him…but I hate to leave him like this…but then I can't afford to wait, this is the best chance I have! Hatori thought as he looked at the closed door, pulling his hands out of the restraints with great difficulty, the red marks on his arms getting darker from the strain. He glanced at the door again quickly as he sat up and ripped off the bandages, looking down at the dark stitches sewn into his wrists, dried blood flaking around the edge of the plastic string as he raised it to his lips and pulled with his teeth, closing his eyes against the pain as fresh blood spilled down his arm and lips, the coppery substance filling his mouth, almost making him gag as he moved onto the second one, well, what next? Ouchit! Damn that hurt! He thought as he spat the blood and string out of his mouth and looked around the room, getting up and taking the chair to the door, using it to block the handle, well, at least no one can get in now…he thought as he went back to the bed and lay down to wait.
Shigure yawned as he padded down the hall towards the insistently ringing phone, taking it off the hook and putting the receiver to his ear tiredly as he stretched, his light brown yukata falling open at the chest as his stretched his shoulders,
"Mochi-mochi?" he groaned, sighing as he finished his stretch and listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, but still too tired to understand what was being said, "Sorry, could you repeat that?" he asked as he woke up a little more,
"This is the hospital, Hatori-Sohma-san is in critical condition. He was found earlier this evening out of his restraints, he's been moved up to the third floor, private room sixty nine B. We're hoping that a blood transfusion will get him back on the road to recovery, but I can't guarantee anything." The young feminine voice on the other end of the phone said sympathetically, Shigure listening with wide eyes as the woman spoke,
"Alright, I'll be there in the morning, please do what you can. Good night." Shigure replied calmly, the woman hanging the phone up quickly after. Shigure stood with the phone in his hand, gripping the receiver with white knuckles, Hatori! You idiot! He thought as he gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the wooden wall panel, leaving a fist-sized dent in the wood, grunting as he bent the scraped and slightly bruised fingers, dropping the phone receiver to the floor as he went to the freezer and tool out an ice pack,
"Oh, Shigure, are you alright? I heard the noise…" Tohru said as she entered the living room, Shigure holding the pack over his sore hand, "Are you alright?" Tohru asked as she noticed the blue pack, taking it off to examine his hand worriedly, seeing the knuckles already turning blue from the impact on the wall,
"I'm fine, really." Shigure insisted with a warm smile, Tohru still looking worried as he replaced the pack on his hand, "Unfortunately the same can't be said of Hatori." He added regretfully as Tohru sat on the floor in her pink flannel pyjamas, her bunny slippers peering up at Shigure as he looked down at her,
"What happened?" she asked sadly as she peered up with her dark hazel eyes, Shigure looking off worriedly at the wall, I thought for sure he'd stop all this if he couldn't get Sakai to make up the will, I never thought he'd try again, not this soon…he thought with a sigh,
"He got loose and tore the stitches out again…I'm going to visit him in the morning, but I want you and the others to go to school, and please, don't tell them until I find out more." He replied as he looked down at the young girl, who nodded obediently.
Hatori woke up at the noise, a loud wailing coming from Momiji's room down the hall, what's going on? He wondered tiredly as he sat up and looked at the clock at his bedside, which read three in the morning. With a sigh he climbed out of bed, the wailing quieting down to muffled sobs as Hatori made his way down the hall to Momiji's room,
"Momiji?" Hatori called softly as he opened the door, seeing a small shivering lump beneath the covers of the bed in the darkness, "Momiji." He called again as he crept towards the bed, gently pulling back the covers to be met with a scream as Momiji thrashed and knocked his hands away in terror, "Momiji! Momiji! It's me!" Hatori shouted as he grabbed the small boy's arms,
"H-Ha'ri?" Momiji asked tearfully as he opened his tear streaked eyes, just able to make out Hatori's face in the dark moonlit room, the dragon's concerned eyes softening as he looked at the scared little boy, "Ha'ri!" Momiji cried as he dived into Hatori's arms, the older boy comforting him,
"Hey, it's okay, you're okay…hush…did you have a bad dream?" Hatori asked as he looked down at Momiji, who nodded and wiped his eyes on the light blue sleeve of his bunny covered pyjamas, well, at least it was nothing serious…now what do I do? The dragon wondered as he stroked the boy's golden curls gently, "Well, try and get some sleep, I'll be right next door if you need me, okay?" Hatori said assuringly as he made to get to his feet, feeling a small tug on his sleeve, looking down to see Momiji's small hand holding the soft material of his white pyjama sleeve. "You don't want me to leave." Hatori observed as he looked at the wide pleading eyes of the small boy, his hand still holding his sleeve tightly,
"Can you stay here?" Momiji asked pleadingly as Hatori looked around the room, not seeing an alarm clock of any sort, of course there isn't, I usually wake him up, he thought as he got to his feet, Momiji gripping his sleeve tighter,
"I can't, I have to get up early." Hatori replied, Momiji looking hurt as well as scared as he released the sleeve he had been gripping so tightly, "So you can come and sleep in my room." Hatori added as he looked down at the small boy, who smiled brightly as Hatori leaned down and lifted him securely into his arms. Hatori's comforting scent light and musky, and Momiji breathed it deeply as he was carried through to Hatori's room and put down on the large double bed, Hatori climbing in his usual side, where the clock stood giving off a red light, the only light in the room.
"Ha'ri…can I open the curtains?" Momiji asked quietly as he knelt on the bed beside Hatori, who lay down tiredly and stared up at the young boy,
"Alright." He replied simply, Momiji slipping off the end of the bed and pulling open the thick white curtains to let the moonlight spill into the room. He looked up at the star lit sky for a few moments before hurrying back to the bed and climbing in beside Hatori, looking at the nineteen year old as he lay peacefully on his back, his eyes closed and his breathing slow. Momiji looked around the spacious room, everything tidy, nothing left out of place, it was a room as plain as Momiji's, not even a picture was out to brighten up the room, but still Momiji felt strangely comfortable, Hatori's scent filling his senses as he snuggled down in the covers, hesitating before shifting closer to Hatori, "Momiji? What are you doing?" Hatori asked tiredly as the small boy gently wrapped his small arm around Hatori's arm,
"Nothing…" the boy replied innocently as he released Hatori, Hatori able to imagine with ease the sad look that was on Momiji's face at that moment. With a sigh Hatori turned on his side and rested his arm across Momiji's stomach gently, the small boy reaching up to grip the front of Hatori's shirt gently as he leaned his head on the older man's chest,
"Better?" Hatori asked as he looked down at the small boy, seeing him nod in reply, I guess being a parent isn't so bad…Hatori thought with a smile as he leaned down and rested his chin on the boys soft hair, the light honey scent reaching him as he closed his eyes.