::Disclaimer:  Wow, would you believe that out of these characters, only Tichini is mine?  Huh, I never would have guessed… :)::

Yuki sat in the hospital bed and ached to leave. He felt restless and flighty. The schoolwork the teachers sent didn't seem like it was nearly enough to keep his mind occupied. Today he wouldn't even have a visitor to take his mind of his boredom.

Actually, he probably would have a visitor. The girls from school showed up constantly, often with a present of some sort. If they didn't stop coming soon, someone would mistake his room for a floral shop. Besides which, these were not the visitors he want to see anyhow.

Tichini had come to visit every day since she had become mobile. He had welcomed her visits because she was interesting - an an odd, sporatic sort of way. She could make him laugh by being herself - in that, she reminded him quite a bit of Tohru. Except there was something about Tichini he simply could not put his finger on. It could have been her attention defecit ways, or perhaps her strange, lopsided smile she gave when she was unsure of herself, but there was something that struck him as familiar.

Not in a good way.

Now that she was gone, it seemed the no-visitors time had pushed itself into slow motion. He was left to sulk to himself. How had she managaed to walk again so quickly? Why was he still in the hospital when she had been allowed to leave? Only six months had passed. Her injuries had been worse then his.

If she were not his friend, he would have hated her.

He rubbed his temples gently. His doctors did say he was healing fast. That he could leave in about a month or so - but where did that leave her? In the omnipotent category? Yuki reached over and took a sip of his water.

Kyo had gone home after only a month in Yuki's snow-colored prison. For a while he had been living on painkillers - thoroughly convinced he had killed the girl in the other car, he hadn't been able to function until Shigure forced Tichini into talking to him. It was like that stupid cat had woken up from whatever nightmare he had been stuck in.

Too bad he can't see he's caused more pain to others then he ever could for himself, Yuki thought bitterly. Tichini forgave him and was immediately on speaking terms with both of them. In that, she also reminded him of Tohru - so ready to forgive and forget. Although in Tichini it may have been more given to the fact that she couldn't keep her mind on a subject for more then three minutes. He rememberd her telling him once that there was no reason to be angry with Kyo - "He just got distracted, it could have hap... Where did those flowers come from?" No, she was definitely an odd piece of work. So why did he like her so much?

And why was there part of him that feared her?

*

Tichini knelt at the table in Hatori's dining room and stared at the soup. Hatori and Momiji ate as thogh it were an everyday occurance to have another join them for dinner. Tichini couldn't banish the tension though.

It was her thought that people discussed things over dinner. When employers had dinners, it was usually good news. In fact, most often - in general circumstances - it was good news. Yet this was a quiet, still meal - as though there was something serious arising. Something like the death of a family member.

Tichini took a spoonful of soup. Death - wouldn't that be an oddly familiar topic for them to bring up? It worried her all the same. If someone was dying, she doubted she would want to look death in the face long enough to try and heal them. The thought made her nervous. It seemed like ages before Hatori pushed his bowl aside.

"You seem to understand that there is a reason for you being here," he said wiping his mouth with a napkin. His eyes seemed to bore through her head and see every thought. She simply stared back. As long as she was slipping into insanity, she may as well act it.

"It is merely to inform you that your services here are temporary. You will go home after your third year and have no recollection whatsoever of your time here."

"Why?" It wasn't the first question that should have come to mind - a likely one would have been "What the hell?" - and she took Hatori off-guard. She tried hard not to act pleased. Insanity was supposed to catch people of guard, wasn't it?

"Because these are not normal circumstances," Hatori said, looking her in the eye as if searching for some flicker of doubt in her eyes. "The family you are about to serve is under a curse - a curse of the zodiac. Each cursed member turns into that animal when hugged by a member of th-"

Tichini had started laughing. Her laugh came in sporatic gulps, thanks to her rib cage being in an eternal state of limbo as far as the healing process was concerned. Hatori and Momiji stared, sweatdrops forming on their heads. She laughed harder, tears welling in her eyes. It was a laugh of relief. It was a laugh because this was just humorous.

"That's all?" Tichini wheezed. "Good lord, I thought you were going to tell me someone was about to die or something."

"That doesn't bother you?" Hatori said with a raised eyebrow. Momiji looked positively ecstatic as Tichini shook her head, banishing the last of her laughter.

"Can I hug her now, Ha'ri-san? Can I?" Momiji chirped, eyes wide in happiness. Hatori shrugged his shoulder ever-so-slightly. It had not really been an answer, but it was enough. Momiji vaulted himself across the table and flung his arms around Tichini.

Nothing happened.

+++++++++++++++++

A/N: Ah, this chapter is a big thank-you to all those nice reviewers out there. (I love you guys!  Everyone has been so nice so far!)  I got some great news today actually - Tokyo Pop is going to release the manga in english!  So those of us underprivledged people with no one to teach us Japanese can now enjoy the manga as well.  (I personally look forward to meeting Rin eventually!)