A/N: I think that Hatori's story (haha rhyme) is very touching...but so sad...Anyway, this is one of the shorter chapters. The lengths of the chapters can vary more than two thousand words, actually...Wow...

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, but Natsuki Takaya does.

Hatori threw on his coat and left the office. 'Hatori is like snow.' Akito had said that. For a long time, if Akito or his father ordered him to do it, he would suppress anyone's memories. Hatori looked down at the sidewalk. He could see Yuki sobbing and begging him not to erase the memories of the only friends he'd had. Even though he knew it would hurt Yuki, he erased his friend's memories. That's why…when Akito uttered those words…in a way he was telling the truth.

"Hatori-San!" He looked over his shoulder. Tohru was running up to him. He turned around. "Thank goodness it really is you, Hatori-San! I was wondering what I'd do if you weren't!" Hatori didn't understand. "Happy New Year!" she told him.

Hatori was feeling kind of out of it. What day it was sort of brought him back to reality. "Happy New Year," he said.

"For a second I didn't know who you were," Tohru said. "You grew your hair longer." That was true. The bangs that he had over his left eye and on the far right side of his face, they now reached about the height of the tip of his nose. Hatori slowly looked over to her, still slightly in a daze. "It looks really good. Just like Shigure-San's."

Hatori's mood just shot down. "…What?" No. He could not be like Shigure. In any possible way. He started to slowly walk away. "I've just been busy with the New Year. I did think of getting it cut," he decided just then.

Tohru held up a finger, following behind him, and started to say something, but stopped. "Are you alone?" he asked her.

"Yes!" she said. "I was just with my friends on our first temple visit of the New Year." Hatori stopped walking to let her catch up. "Sohma-Kun and Kyo-Kun said they'd go to the main house to wish everyone a Happy New Year!"

Hatori highly doubted that. They must have been lying. No doubt they're now sitting under a kotatsu eating oranges or something… Never mind Kyo, Yuki's showing a lot of guts. He created quite a stir…Last night at the main house, everyone was worried about why he didn't come. Akito was furious. That was the first time that the rat's ever skipped out on the banquet. Shigure told him, 'I'm sure he wanted to greet the New Year with Tohru-Kun.' Hatori and Tohru started walking again. Who could blame him…for choosing her…over Akito?

"Hatori-San, are you going shopping?" Tohru asked. Hatori was brought back to the present. She smiled up at him.

"No…I just wanted a little city air," he said.

"You must have been really busy." Then, the air gradually got colder. Snow started to fall, and Tohru held her hands out and stopped walking, as did Hatori. He put his hands in his pockets. "It's snowing! Today's going to be a cold one," she said. "Somehow…it's strange that I'm seeing the first snow with you, Hatori-San." She smiled over at him, and they started to walk again.

Then, and Hatori knew it was coming, Tohru slipped. She gave a small scream, and landed in Hatori's arms. But then…they were surrounded by smoke. She stood up from his pile of clothes quickly, not wanting to crush him. "Ha—tori—sa…" His clothes rustled, and he found his way out from under them. Tohru gasped and stood up to look at him.

He fell over. "Water!" Tohru screeched. Hatori was a very, very, small seahorse. "Sea-water?! Or fresh-water?!" She looked around frantically. "Which is it, Hatori?!"

Hatori didn't do anything. His friends had always laughed at him about it. He remembered a conversation in high school with Shigure and another zodiac member. 'You're the year of the Dragon, so you must be the dragon's bastard offspring!' Shigure laughed. 'How come Haa-San's the only weird one?' The other said, 'It couldn't be any funnier than if he turned into a real dragon.'

Hatori couldn't believe this was happening. This brings back memories. Tohru Honda's reaction was the same as hers was. Hers, Kana's.

It was actually not that long ago. Kana bowed, and her short brown hair swayed. She straightened back up. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Kana Sohma." Hatori was over at his desk, writing something. "I will do my best to assist you!" She smiled. "You know…it's strange. We're part of the same family, yet we haven't spoken before today. Hatori-San, everyone thinks you're so handsome, you're popular even on the "outside"!"

Hatori looked up from his notepad. "I know it's sudden but I have a job for you."

Kana paid barely any attention to that. She glanced over to the window, and walked over. "Ah! It's snowing! I knew it was going to snow!" Hatori watched her. "May I ask you a question? When the snow melts, what does it become?"

Is she making fun of me? Hatori had wondered. "It becomes water, of course."

"Wrong!" she sang. "It becomes spring!" Kana looked away from the window and smiled at him again. "Spring is my favorite season!" Hatori just looked at her.

They say that…being with another person…can make you feel so much more alive. I realized then what those people meant. To me…she was spring. It was as if while imprisoned inside the dark cage of the inner family…I had completely frozen into snow…and then there she was—fresh, clear spring. It was almost inevitable that…I would fall in love with her. But it was also inevitable…that she would find out.

Kana looked down at him in disbelief, but then suddenly went into a panic. "Water!" she screamed. "Or is it sea-water?! Which is it?! Which is it, Hatori?!"

Eventually he had changed back and explained the whole thing. She dried his hair with a towel. "It's too late now…but if you threw a real seahorse into the bathtub it would die. Probably." The both laughed a bit.

"You think so…? Y—Sorry. I panicked. I did the first thing that came to me," Kana said. She looked down and frowned a bit at herself. "It all makes sense now. I was wondering why you'd never hold me," she said sadly. She left the towel on his head and he just let it hang there over his face. "I understand. You must have been scared. You didn't want anyone to know your secret." Hatori said nothing. "Naturally, you would distance yourself from others. Especially if…it was someone you loved."

Hatori gazed into the distance, but then into her eyes. "But…there's no need to be scared anymore," she told him. She looked up at him, no longer smiling. "Don't push me away. I'm…happy I met you, Hatori." Kana pulled the towel down off of his head. "I'm happy that…I fell in love with you."

The words made her eyes sting with tears, and even Hatori's. "I want to be near you," she told him, her words thick. Hatori started crying. It was the first time in his life that he felt forgiven. Like he was saved. Like the frozen snow that's melted by the breath of spring. His tears wouldn't stop.

To Hatori, the next two months were like…a dream. 'It's as if a lifetime of happiness has been condensed into two short months!' Kana had said, smiling. Now that smile pierces his heart. The end of the dream…came when to ask Akito for his permission...to marry her.

Akito shook his head furiously, his short black hair whipping all around his face. He couldn't escape Shigure's grip on his arms. "Akito! Hold on a second! Calm down, stop!" Shigure shouted. "Kana-Chan, hurry! Help Hatori!"

Hatori's left eye had been struck by Akito's vase. Akito had thrown it at his face before Shigure could do anything. It was bleeding madly. Hatori had his face in his hands and Kana was kneeling before him.

Akito was losing his right mind. "Why would…Why would I give him to you?!" he shouted at Kana. "I don't need you! You can't even break the curse! I don't need you! I don't! I don't!" he screamed.

"Akito!"

"If Hatori goes blind, it's your fault!" Akito blamed Kana. "It's your fault! It's your fault! It's your fault! IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

Kana put her face in her hands, and Hatori's came down from his face, bloody.

Kana fell ill. No matter what Hatori said or did, she did nothing but cry. He couldn't even blame Akito. It was the curse. And so, she fell ill. Her heart…fell ill.

Akito stood in his kimono with his back against the wall. "Your memory suppression skills would be helpful now, wouldn't they?" Hatori stood, silent, with an eye patch over his injured eye. "Just erase her memories. You had no problem with the others. What's hurting her right now is her memories of you. Her love for you. Isn't it your final duty to free her from that pain?" he asked. Akito snatched his tie and bent down to whisper, "I think she truly wants to be released. She wants…to forget."

When Hatori decided he was ready, he talked to Kana. He stood over her in the middle of the field and she kneeled before him, her hand grasping his sleeve, head hanging. "I think…" The words were hard for him to say to her. "I think it would have been better…if we'd never met. I think it would have been better if we'd never met." Is this…retribution? Hatori asked himself. Kana hung her head, sobbing.

Even though it hurt people and made them cry…If it was an order, I would peel away people's memories, without remorse. Is this my punishment? He kneeled down and Kana brought up her head slowly. He held her forehead with one hand. I never thought I'd have to erase with my own hands…the memories of the one person most important to me. The memories most important to me.

The snow fell around them. "Sorry...I couldn't protect you," she said, tears falling down her cheeks, even though Hatori had covered her eyes. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Ha…to…ri…"

Before he knew it, there was a flash, she fell away from his hand, and it was done. Kana lied there in the snow. No. I'm the one…who should apologize. I'm the one who couldn't protect you. But despite that, you thought only of me 'til the very end. If that is the depth of her love…If that was why she became so sick…then it's no right for her to suffer. Hatori watched her motionless body, still lying there, unconscious.

"Thank you…Kana." He stood up. "It's…all right now," he told her. Hatori's tears stained his shirt and continued to fall. "There's…nothing there to hurt anymore." He looked down at her, still. Oh, God, please let her…find someone who can make her happy. I pray. Even if I die surrounded by snow that never melts…I don't care. Please…please…

"Hatori-San!" a familiar voice said frantically. Hatori's eyes shot open and he was brought back to the present. "Hatori-San!" Tohru said. He looked up, and she was watching him worriedly. He was lying down on a bench with a blanket over him.

"…I'm cold," he said.

Tohru stiffened, kneeling next to the park bench. "Th—that's because…" she said shakily, "under the coat…you're…naked." Before he could say anything she shouted, "Ah, no! I didn't see anything! Do you remember? You met me, and I fell, and you hit your head and transformed!" she filled him in on the events.

Hatori rubbed the back of his head, thinking, Oh…that's right…

"I didn't know what to do," Tohru continued frantically, "so I moved you somewhere where no one could see. And then you changed back, but I didn't—…!" He stood up and started putting his clothes back on, while she was looking elsewhere.

"Did you see?" he asked nervously.

Tohru threw her hands up. "No! I didn't!"

"My…zodiac…"

"Ah…yes."

Hatori turned away and smacked his forehead. He was self-conscious. Tohru gasped and said, "Bu—But I don't think it's funny or anything! I was surprised, but you were so cute, and I never expected…"

"I'm going to get dressed now," he said.

"Oh! I'll go get you something warm to drink!" Tohru shouted, already walking away.

Minutes later, Hatori sat back down on the bench. It's been a while since I've dreamt of Kana. So…why now? he wondered. I wonder if it's the snow.

A small group of ladies started to walk by. "Really? Finally! Congratulations, Kana!" Hatori slowly turned his head, eyes wide. "We were wondering why you suddenly came back to Tokyo."

"Next, you'll be talking to your parents about the ceremony, right? Why didn't you bring your fiancé? I wanted to meet him!"

"Well, he's busy with work," Kana told them. Hatori noticed how her hair came over her shoulders now, beautifully. "And we're having the ceremony in his town."

"Hey, what kind of guy is he?"

"The kind who can't lie. And I feel so calm when I'm with him. Even if…he's not as good looking as Hatori-San," Kana giggled. She still had no idea that he was right there.

"Ooh! Look what you're saying!"

"Well, I was always in love with him. But it was just one-sided," Kana said, smiling. "This is the first time I've been back to the Sohma house in a long time…I wonder if I'll get to see Hatori-San?"

"Just don't have an affair!" Her friend said, draping her arm around Kana's shoulders. They walked away, as Hatori just…watched them leave.

Hatori hadn't seen her in two years. She was still smiling the same way that she did back then. He'd noticed that. I see. So she's…happy now. I'm glad. "Congratulations…" Hatori muttered. He smiled and watched them turn around the corner.

"Congratulations on what?" Tohru had just appeared on the other side of him with a warm drink for him, as she'd promised.

"No…it's nothing," Hatori said, looking away from the street corner. Time passes slowly…but steadily. Tohru looked at him questioningly.

I would be lying, Hatori thought to himself, if I said that I wasn't shocked. But I'm happy…to know that it was a good thing…to let her go. I'm glad. Please, let her be happy. Even if I die surrounded by snow that never melts. 'Hatori-San?' Kana had asked on her first day. 'When the snow melts, what does it become?'

Hatori stood up and looked down, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "When…snow melts, what do you think it becomes?" he asked Tohru, who was still holding his drink.

"Huh? Ah…um, well…hmm." Tohru thought about the question front, back, left, right, upside down, right side up, backwards, and frontwards and came up with her truthful answer. "It becomes spring!" she said, smiling. "No matter how cold it is now, spring will come again! Without fail. It's strange…isn't it? But it's true."

Hatori looked at her, the same way he'd looked at Kana when she'd first said it. Incredible. Someday, the snow will melt. Without fail.

Tohru handed him his drink. "Is coffee okay?"

He nodded and held out the bag that he'd absently been holding. "Here's your bag." They traded items.

Without fail, he thought again.

A/N: I ask people the question all the time. "When snow melts, what does it become?" Almost every person says water. ):

R+R, bis bald. (I've come to like that saying c:)