6) Make it a habit to give her something once in a while. It doesn't need to be an expensive one. What really matters is that you are giving importance to her needs. This makes her practice gratitude to other people, especially to those who are close to her.

Hatori stared at his fellow Sohmas and Tohru at the dining room. He look very serious, probably angry.

"Tohru…" he looked sternly at her. "Go to your room."

"But--"

"I won't take no for an answer." After a few moments, Tohru left them alone and Hatori sighed loudly. "Yuki, what were you thinking?"

"I was ordered, Tori-san." He replied. "and I got carried away."

"Because of you, Kyou got hurt badly." He glared. "It was good that you came on time and…"

"Hatori…" Shigure patted his cousin's shoulder. "He set this all up. He's the one who hates Tohru all along."

"I know but I ordered that at all costs, Tohru must not leave the house." He sternly looked at them. "Good sake, you're 6 in the house!"

"The house is big…" Hiro whispered.

"And thanks to you," he glared at Yuki. "she knew almost everything."

***Flashback***

"Sohma-kun! Please tell me! What's happening!" Tohru tugged his shoulder.

"Please, not now…" he drove swiftly back to the house. Kyou was bleeding on Tohru's lap but somehow, she wasn't focused to him.

"But---"

"That private place that you saw was a garden a few days ago." He explained. "I used to grow edible plants there and that's the reason why I asked for your permission to leave. I just want to see that it's okay."

"But now," he continued. "When I went there, it was all so barren and nothing was left. I tried to plant some again but…"

"Sohma-kun, I don't know…"

"And there was a piece of paper left behind." He recalled the scene. "It was an order of the government and under YOUR signature to destroy that lot, which I monthly pay for the past 4 years." He grinned. "It was said to be illegal to plant there."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's alright. I figured it all out. Somebody set you up… and he planned to use me to kill you." He frowned. He shouldn't have said that.

"Sohma-kun, I just…"

"Honda-san. The assassin that you said who looked like me…" he looked at her. "…was somebody in our clan. Our clan head to be exact."

"…no…" she whispered.

"We don't know the reason but we were---"

"Stop it!!!" she yelled. "Then, if the assassin is your clan head then you… and the other Sohmas… must be…"

"Honda-san, please don't jump to conclusions."

"Sohma-kun, you're an assassin?" she asked.

Yuki couldn't answer. He kept on driving until they reached the house. He got out and took Kyou with him. "Baka neko, this will be the first and the last time that I will carry you, ne?" he whispered.

Tohru stood in front of him. "Are you?"

Yuki looked at her. "It's hard to explain but…" he stopped when Hatori went in front of her and knocked her unconscious. "Hatori---"

"We'll talk about this later, Yuki." He said sternly.

**************

He heard everything. Yuki thought. He knew that I told her everything but… "I didn't have a choice." He whispered.

"Neither do we… neither did Kyou." Shigure said. "But still, we have to figure out something to twist this little problem"

"Shigure, you are a very optimistic person." Hatori grinned. "But I think this isn't just a little problem."

"That's right." Kagura nodded. "Kyou is going to die--"

"No he isn't" the doctor replied.

"And he's not the problem" Yuki added. "What I said to her was the problem."

"But what said is done!" Momiji protested. "There's nothing we can do--"

"There is a way." The doctor stood up. "And it's the only way."

"What? Kill her?" Hiro asked.

"HIRO!"

"Gomen, Kisa-san." He blinked. "I was just joking."

"That wasn't funny." She snobbed.

"It's either that idea." Hatori suggested. "That way, we could get out of here and live back where we belong."

"Back in the main house?" Shigure asked. "I don't know…"

"Or I could do my part…" the doctor raised his hand. "as always, whenever an outsider knew about our Jyunishi secret."

"Ne? You're going to erase her memory?" Momiji asked. "ALL OF IT?"

"No. There's one out of fifty chances that I could erase only the memories that are needed to be deleted." The doctor educated his cousins. "Wish me luck then."

"Wait!" Yuki yelled. "Can I at least talk to her?"

Hatori looked at him annoyingly. "Why should you? You already said a lot."

"Please." He said seriously and the doctor nodded.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"She's not yet WHAT?!" the stranger took a vase and threw it across the room. It broke into pieces, causing a loud crash but still, the assassins who bowed in front of him didn't move an inch.

"Master, Yuki was very wise. He already knew what we were plotting." Said one of the servants.

"SILENCE!"

"But---"

"I told you that once something goes wrong, you were there to do your job." He growled. "But instead, you let them get away?!"

"Please give us one more chance, sir…"

"It annoys me most when anybody asks for a…ugh…" the stranger began to collapse.

"Akito-san!" they all rushed towards him but he shoved them off.

"LEAVE ME!!!" he commanded. The assassins soon left and Akito laid himself flat on the floor.

"If they couldn't get the job done," Akito murmured. "Then I shall do it myself. Just wait, Honda Tohru-san. Your nightmare is about to become reality…" he grinned.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Honda-san?" Yuki called. He was in leaning against Tohru's bedroom door. "Honda-san, I wasn't allowed to see you in person. So, I can't come in but this door is made out of thin wood…"

"Psst.. Yuki…" Momiji waved from the other end of the hall. "Where's Hatori?"

"He's downstairs." He whispered. "Why?"

"Come here quickly!" he called. Yuki silently went to Momiji's room and to his surprise, Tohru was there.

"What….is she---"

"Don't talk so loud! She's sleeping." He whispered. "Hatori told Haru to bring her to her room but… he got lost and placed her here."

"Well, I guess I owe him one." He giggled.

"Sorry, I suggest not to wake her up," the little one suggested. "after you said all of those stuff to her."

"I understand." He knelt at the bedside and held her hand lightly. "I had lots to say but…"

"I understand you, Yuki. I had lot to say to my mom and sister too, but---"

"You're moving away the point…" he reminded.

"My point is that even if you're this close to her, once you're forbidden to do or say something," Momiji explained. "a gap forms between you and Tohru."

"Very touching." A voice was heard. Hatori came in and grinned at them. "You still have guts to disobey an order."

"Hatori." Yuki stood up and looked up at the doctor. "Please don't do it."

"Yuki, you made things worse than before. This is the safest solution we have." Hatori explained. "Or do you want to see her die?"

"Please, can we leave it like this?" he asked. "If she forgets everything, it's almost the same thing as death!"

"We'll take the risk if we desperately need it. Now move over." Hatori ordered.

"No."

"Don't resist. Move over." He forcibly moved him but Yuki stood still in his place.

"It is my duty to protect her at all costs!" Yuki yelled. "Never you will lay a finger on her! Remember, I would give up my life protecting her! And I don't care if it's an assassin or a citizen I'm battling with, even if he's a Sohma! "

"Yuki…" the doctor looked at him. "Tell me. Do you think she'll accept us once she reminded herself that she's surrounded by assassins???"

"She accepted us with this curse." Yuki explained. "It took her time to understand. Now, all we need is time for her to understand who we really are… and our reason to be here."

"Yeah!" Momiji cheered. "I go for Yuki's idea!"

"And so are we!" the other Sohmas came in and cheered with Momiji.

"Hatori, please listen to the majority." Shigure grinned.

"I guess I had no choice." Hatori smiled. "But he won't be as happy as he was said to be."

"We'll worry about him later." Haru said. "Right now we have to worry something else."

"What are we going to say when---" Kagura began but—

"—I wake up?" Tohru sat up and look at them. "I'm awake so…"

"Honda-san…"

"Onee-chan…" Kisa stepped forward and held her hand. "Please believe us. We're here to protect you."

"Kisa…" Tohru began,

"I know it sound crazy but… we are here to keep you safe from him. He's the bad guy and…you're the good one and…. We…" she thought and searched for a word.

Tohru giggled. "Kisa, I understand what you mean."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to tell the police?" Hiro asked. "Since you already knew the profile of the---"

"Yes, I know." Tohru nodded. "But he's a relative of yours. A clan head! I just… want to know first the reason why he's after me. Do you guys know?"

Money? Authority? Yuki wondered. No, that can't be it. He is full of mysteries. He might look feeble but he knows that what he wants is what he gets. And I know he wants             Tohru's dead body…

"Nobody knows?" she asked again and nobody answered. "Okay, as long as the truth isn't revealed yet, I won't send him to jail--"

"Honda-san, he's ruthless!" Yuki yelled.

"Yuki!"

"I mean it! What if he won't tell you the truth? What if you'll die without knowing the truth is?"

"That can't happen, Sohma-kun." She smiled.

"Huh?" Shigure asked.

"Because you all are here." She replied. "And you're going to take me to him."

There was silence.

"H-Honda-san---"

"It's final. You're going to take me to him." she ordered.

"But… can you use the phone instead?" Kagura asked

"I would like to see him in person. Besides," she smiled. "If he's your clan head, he might know something about me from you guys. I can't wait to meet him."

Honda-san, what are you thinking??? This guy… never would like to meet you alive. But… we have no choice. Yuki smiled. "I'll be accompanying you, Honda-san."

"Thank you."

Hatori slapped himself lightly. Yuki, you didn't know what greater mess we had gotten into. But still, I wanted to know how will Akito react when he sees Tohru in front of him?