A/N: Sorry it took so long. School's been kinda hectic lately. Thanks for
all the reviews I've gotten so far. I saw DVD number four. It was so
SAD!!!! I almost cried!
~
"I'm a little worried about Hatori . . ., " Tohru said. Hatori had been gone for two weeks and hadn't even called to check in. He would usually at least call to make sure the others were alright, but this time they hadn't gotten any word from him.
"I'm sure he's fine, Miss Honda. He probably just needed some time off. He hasn't had a real vacation ever, and everything is probably just finally getting to him," Yuki reassured her.
"Okay . . . " Tohru didn't sound convinced, but she wasn't willing to argue with Yuki.
~ Meanwhile ~
Everything was getting to Hatori. He hadn't begun feeling better even after two weeks to himself. He had noticed the development of an infection the week before, but hadn't been able to get up the strength to make the drive back to the hospital.
He got up slowly, deciding that he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to call someone to come pick him up. And it had to be someone that he could trust to leave him alone for a little while and not ask questions. The only person that even slightly fit that description was Ayame. He had almost reached the phone when his leg gave out on him.
When he fit the ground, he could hear the bone in his leg snapping out of place. Hatori managed to stifle a scream and grabbed the phone. He dialed the number of Ayame's store, knowing his cousin would still be there even though it was ten at night.
"Hello, Ayame. Ayame speaking, how can I help you?" A strangely sultry voice said from the other end.
"Ayame . . . " Hatori could hear how gravelly his voice sounded and winced.
"Tori? Is that you? How are you?!" Ayame squealed.
"Ayame, please lower you voice. Would you please come pick me up at the Hot Springs. I would rather not answer any questions just yet, but I need a ride into town."
"Sure, Tori. I'll be there as soon as I can." Ayame's voice had lost all of its playfulness and had become serious. He knew something was wrong, otherwise Hatori wouldn't have called him and asked for help.
~
Ayame arrived less than thirty minutes later. He found Hatori leaning against one of the support beams for the porch. "Tori? Are you okay?"
"Would you help me to the car? I can't make it by myself."
"Tori?" Ayame's voice began raising as he got worried. Hatori never sounded that weak.
"I broke my leg on the way to the phone. I can't walk very well," Hatori explained, hoping to calm Ayame somewhat. It worked, but only slightly. Ayame walked up to Hatori and picked him up.
"I can't have you putting any weight on it, though," Ayame paused as he judged Hatori's weight, "you don't seem to be very heavy. I think you've become lighter than your Zodiac form." Ayame attempted at a joke.
~
They arrived at the hospital and eventually Hatori was shown into a room. The doctor raised his eyebrow when he saw who it was. Hatori sighed and nodded. Ayame looked back and forth between the two, confused.
"What's going on here?" he asked, his voice raising again as he got worried again.
"I'll tell you after we leave, Ayame. Please calm down."
~
After they left, Hatori asked to be driven to Shigure's house. He wanted his closer relatives to be the first to know. When they arrived, Hatori struggled for a few minutes with the crutches he had been given. They got inside and, as predicted, Tohru immediately made a fuss about Hatori's leg.
"I have something to tell all of you," Hatori said, the seriousness in his voice getting everyone's attention. "I have cancer. It is not fatal right now, however I will not be able to perform my duties as the Sohma doctor until this is over."
"What do you mean, 'Not fatal right now'?" Kyo demanded to know, standing up and glaring at Hatori. Even Yuki could see that the glare was his way of hiding how worried and scared he was about Hatori.
"It can be cured with treatment, unless I waited too long. I do plan on trying the treatment, but I felt that I had hidden it from you for too long." As Hatori ended his speech Ayame stood up and left the room. Yuki followed him, curious.
~ Outside ~
"Ayame? What's wrong?" Yuki asked, noticing Ayame's shaking shoulders. Ayame whirled around to face him, tears streaming down his face.
"Didn't you hear him? He could die! He's known for at least two weeks now and he didn't tell us, he just went away and broke his leg!" Ayame cried, turning back away from Yuki, ashamed of his outburst.
"It'll be okay, Ayame. He can't die," Yuki told his brother, putting his arm on Ayame's shoulder comfortingly. He wasn't sure exactly why it mattered to him so much, but he wanted to make his brother feel better. He knew the thought of having to live without Tohru was unbearable, how much worse must it be for Ayame? He and Hatori had been close friends almost from the moment they were born, and now Ayame might lose him. So Yuki did the one thing he could: he stayed with Ayame, holding him as he was overcome with sobs, whispering soothing words as his brother cried.
A/N: Yeah, I know Yuki and Ayame are both a bit *sarcastic* out of character, but I needed them to be like that to make this part work out. As the story progresses they will probably become closer as Ayame comes to depend on Yuki more, and Yuki begins to realize what it's like to be needed. I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think.
~
"I'm a little worried about Hatori . . ., " Tohru said. Hatori had been gone for two weeks and hadn't even called to check in. He would usually at least call to make sure the others were alright, but this time they hadn't gotten any word from him.
"I'm sure he's fine, Miss Honda. He probably just needed some time off. He hasn't had a real vacation ever, and everything is probably just finally getting to him," Yuki reassured her.
"Okay . . . " Tohru didn't sound convinced, but she wasn't willing to argue with Yuki.
~ Meanwhile ~
Everything was getting to Hatori. He hadn't begun feeling better even after two weeks to himself. He had noticed the development of an infection the week before, but hadn't been able to get up the strength to make the drive back to the hospital.
He got up slowly, deciding that he couldn't put it off any longer. He had to call someone to come pick him up. And it had to be someone that he could trust to leave him alone for a little while and not ask questions. The only person that even slightly fit that description was Ayame. He had almost reached the phone when his leg gave out on him.
When he fit the ground, he could hear the bone in his leg snapping out of place. Hatori managed to stifle a scream and grabbed the phone. He dialed the number of Ayame's store, knowing his cousin would still be there even though it was ten at night.
"Hello, Ayame. Ayame speaking, how can I help you?" A strangely sultry voice said from the other end.
"Ayame . . . " Hatori could hear how gravelly his voice sounded and winced.
"Tori? Is that you? How are you?!" Ayame squealed.
"Ayame, please lower you voice. Would you please come pick me up at the Hot Springs. I would rather not answer any questions just yet, but I need a ride into town."
"Sure, Tori. I'll be there as soon as I can." Ayame's voice had lost all of its playfulness and had become serious. He knew something was wrong, otherwise Hatori wouldn't have called him and asked for help.
~
Ayame arrived less than thirty minutes later. He found Hatori leaning against one of the support beams for the porch. "Tori? Are you okay?"
"Would you help me to the car? I can't make it by myself."
"Tori?" Ayame's voice began raising as he got worried. Hatori never sounded that weak.
"I broke my leg on the way to the phone. I can't walk very well," Hatori explained, hoping to calm Ayame somewhat. It worked, but only slightly. Ayame walked up to Hatori and picked him up.
"I can't have you putting any weight on it, though," Ayame paused as he judged Hatori's weight, "you don't seem to be very heavy. I think you've become lighter than your Zodiac form." Ayame attempted at a joke.
~
They arrived at the hospital and eventually Hatori was shown into a room. The doctor raised his eyebrow when he saw who it was. Hatori sighed and nodded. Ayame looked back and forth between the two, confused.
"What's going on here?" he asked, his voice raising again as he got worried again.
"I'll tell you after we leave, Ayame. Please calm down."
~
After they left, Hatori asked to be driven to Shigure's house. He wanted his closer relatives to be the first to know. When they arrived, Hatori struggled for a few minutes with the crutches he had been given. They got inside and, as predicted, Tohru immediately made a fuss about Hatori's leg.
"I have something to tell all of you," Hatori said, the seriousness in his voice getting everyone's attention. "I have cancer. It is not fatal right now, however I will not be able to perform my duties as the Sohma doctor until this is over."
"What do you mean, 'Not fatal right now'?" Kyo demanded to know, standing up and glaring at Hatori. Even Yuki could see that the glare was his way of hiding how worried and scared he was about Hatori.
"It can be cured with treatment, unless I waited too long. I do plan on trying the treatment, but I felt that I had hidden it from you for too long." As Hatori ended his speech Ayame stood up and left the room. Yuki followed him, curious.
~ Outside ~
"Ayame? What's wrong?" Yuki asked, noticing Ayame's shaking shoulders. Ayame whirled around to face him, tears streaming down his face.
"Didn't you hear him? He could die! He's known for at least two weeks now and he didn't tell us, he just went away and broke his leg!" Ayame cried, turning back away from Yuki, ashamed of his outburst.
"It'll be okay, Ayame. He can't die," Yuki told his brother, putting his arm on Ayame's shoulder comfortingly. He wasn't sure exactly why it mattered to him so much, but he wanted to make his brother feel better. He knew the thought of having to live without Tohru was unbearable, how much worse must it be for Ayame? He and Hatori had been close friends almost from the moment they were born, and now Ayame might lose him. So Yuki did the one thing he could: he stayed with Ayame, holding him as he was overcome with sobs, whispering soothing words as his brother cried.
A/N: Yeah, I know Yuki and Ayame are both a bit *sarcastic* out of character, but I needed them to be like that to make this part work out. As the story progresses they will probably become closer as Ayame comes to depend on Yuki more, and Yuki begins to realize what it's like to be needed. I hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you think.