The Secret Juunishi
Or
How to Mary Sue Yourself and Your Friend into Fruits Basket
by secretjuunishi
-
Fandom: Fruits Basket
Spoilers: for the anime only, although I do mention the name of a Juunishi that is mentioned in the manga
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Pairing: Mary x Hatori, Sue x Shigure
Genre: Humor/Romance/Angst/Drama
Disclaimer: I don't own them...I'm just borrowing them. Hail to Takaya Natsuki.
Summary: Mary Smith and Sue Jones end up in the Fruits Basket universe and they have *secrets.* *spooky music* Mary/Hatori, Sue/Shigure.
Author's Note: Sue made me do it. This started off mostly as a joke. I figure, if you're going to write a Mary Sue story, you may as well make it blatant rather than try to cover it up and pass it off as a non-Mary Sue story when it most definitely is.
-
Chapter 2 of ?
-
They managed to make it all the way into Hatori's office before the inevitable happened.
*pyon*
Hatori suddenly found himself with his arms full of naked woman. He quickly released her, spun around, and pointed toward the corner.
"There is a changing screen there," he said, voice unbelievably calm.
Mary made a run for it, limping slightly. Sue took her time. Mary plotted revenge.
"You know," Sue started. "You should have seen the looks on your faces."
"I was trying not to look at him," Mary growled, making a grab for her clothes.
"But really, you guys looked so cute together," Sue teased, holding Mary's clothes just out of reach.
"It's just too bad he wasn't naked, either," Sue mused, taking a mock thoughtful stance.
"Sue."
"I wonder what that would have looked like," Sue continued.
"Sue." Mary tried to get the other girl's attention.
"I mean, he's older, but he is pretty cute." Sue clearly wasn't listening.
"Sue!"
"What?" She waggled an eyebrow.
"Did you notice?" Mary said, trying for a different approach.
"Notice what? That he had his hands on your-"
"That I'm still in my human form," Mary said, cutting her off.
"And?" Sue was mildly interested.
"We were touching. Really touching, Sue. And I. Didn't. Transform."
"You know, you're right."
And as Mary had predicted, Sue gestured forward with her hands giving Mary the perfect opportunity to grab her clothes without exposing herself again.
"No fair!" Sue whined.
Mary stuck her tongue out at Sue behind the safety of the changing screen. Mary dressed quickly, smoothing down her clothes and fluffing her hair, much to Sue's amusement, before stepping back into the room.
"Nice boobs," Sue teased.
"Shut up," Mary muttered.
Hatori stood by the now-open sliding paper doors, gazing out across the lovely garden and pond he had as his view. His mind still reeled at the events that had transpired just moments earlier. The girl, Mary, had transformed before his eyes into a creature he knew wasn't part of the Juunishi. And, to make matters more interesting, he didn't transform when they embraced. So she had to be Juunishi, right?
Momiji appeared in the doorway. "Um, Ha'ri-san, what just happened?"
"I don't know, Momiji," he said, more serious than usual. "Hopefully, we'll find out."
He turned and saw the two girls at the far end of the room. They appeared to be arguing about something.
"Hatori-san, may I stay, please?" Momiji pleaded.
Hatori looked down at the boy whose expression was as curious as he felt. Momiji had also been there when it happened, it was only right to let him hear their story, too. He would find out sooner or later anyway. Hatori nodded and Momiji clapped his hands in delight, giving the older man a bright smile. He ushered the boy in before turning toward the women.
"Um, we haven't properly introduced ourselves," Mary said. She gestured toward Sue and said, "This is Sue Jones. I'm Mary Smith. Please excuse our intrusion upon your home."
Both women executed perfect bows.
"Welcome to the Souma house," Momiji said with a grin. His exuberance immediately put Mary and Sue at ease. The situation was awkward enough.
"So," Hatori said. "Let's get right down to it."
Momiji bounced around and produced several tatami mats upon which they could all sit. Tea appeared as well, and while they all got comfortable, Hatori began to speak.
"Have you heard of the curse of the Juunishi?" he asked.
"Just the basics," Mary answered. "We never knew if it really manifested itself, though."
"It did," Hatori said. "The Souma family is afflicted by this curse. Certain members of our family, Momiji and myself included, were born possessed with the cursed spirit of a particular Chinese Zodiac sign."
"Oh!" Sue piped in. "I think I remember reading about this a couple years ago in school. Well, not about the curse, but about the Chinese Zodiac and about the story of the cat. The poor kitty..." Sue started to sniffle.
"Right," Hatori said slowly. "In any case, the term Juunishi is actually not accurate since it means twelve and there are actually fourteen of us."
"Fourteen? You mean the cat and...someone else?" Mary asked.
"Yes. The Souma family leader. He carries the ultimate burden of our curse."
"What would that be?" Mary was extremely intrigued now.
"Death," Hatori said simply. "Not instantly. But drawn out."
"Well, that sucks," Sue remarked.
"Our curse involves transformation," Hatori continued. "Whenever we are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, we turn into our Zodiac forms. The only exception is when we are embraced by Juunishi members of the opposite sex. Nothing happens."
"So, that's why I stayed in my human form after I transformed back," Mary mused.
"It would appear so," Hatori said. "However, it makes no sense as the butterfly is not part of the Chinese Zodiac."
"Well, no, not directly..." Mary trailed off.
Hatori arched an eyebrow.
"Please elaborate," he requested.
Mary gave Sue a sidelong glance and fidgeted a bit on her mat. She took a sip of her tea before speaking.
"Well," Mary began. "Have you ever heard of the saying 'When a butterfly flaps its wings in China...'"
Hatori sat back quickly.
"You mean chaos theory." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes," Mary confirmed. "That's what it's called now, but really it was more like a freak accident at the time."
"When the Juunishi curse first began?" Hatori asked. He was beginning to see the correlation between the butterfly and the Juunishi.
"I don't get it," Momiji said, head tilted to the side.
"Kawaii..." Sue murmured again.
"Well, basically, what we think happened is that the flapping wings of a butterfly upset the system when the Juunishi curse first manifested itself," Mary tried explaining. "As a result, the curse, rather than staying in China, was sort of pushed out of the area and ended up elsewhere."
Mary nodded in the Soumas' direction. "It landed with your family."
"So, because of the butterfly's proximity to the Juunishi," Mary continued, "it became...tainted...with the curse."
"And ended up with your family," Hatori concluded. Mary nodded and gave him a small smile.
Hatori brooded. It made sense, in an odd sort of way. Part of him didn't know how to feel. For generations, the Souma family thought themselves alone in the world of the Juunishi curse. They knew nothing of the butterfly's existence. But here was living proof that it did exist and at least one other family had been touched by the curse. Hatori narrowed his eyes.
"We ought to clean that up," he remarked, his gaze having fallen on Mary's wounds.
"What?" Mary asked, confused. "Oh, right. I'd forgotten." She peered at her cuts and scrapes, some of which had started bleeding again after the transformations.
"Eep!" Sue squeaked before quickly spinning around to face away from Mary and the sight of blood.
Hatori climbed to his feet and retrieved some supplies, returning to kneel in front of Mary and tend to her wounds.
Momiji peered around Hatori's back, still extremely curious about their new acquaintances. His eyes turned to Mary's companion and his brow furrowed as he thought.
"Um, Sue-san?" Momiji started. "What about you?"
Hatori idly listened as he cleaned and bandaged Mary.
"Um, me?" Sue asked. "Well, I'm one, too."
Hatori stopped in mid-movement.
"You are?!" Momiji said with delight. "Yay!!"
Suddenly, Momiji launched himself at Sue, hugging her tightly. Sue squeed and held Momiji close as they fell over.
"Momiji!" Hatori scolded.
"But, Ha'ri-san," the boy whined. "I can hug her and nothing happens!"
"You are so cute!" Sue practically squealed as she attempted to huggle the stuffing out of Momiji.
Hatori swung his gaze back to Mary and arched an eyebrow. "I can't even begin to guess what she might be," he said.
Mary chuckled. "That's because she's still young." She eyed Sue and Momiji huggling and smiled softly.
"She's a wolf," Mary supplied. "One of few creatures that have almost always been around, especially in mythology. Mysterious, fierce. And playful, especially as a pup."
"Playful is a bit of an understatement," Hatori muttered as he watched Sue and Momiji literally rolling around and giggling wildly. "How does the wolf fit into the...mythology...of the Juunishi?"
Hatori continued cleaning Mary's scrapes. "This may sting a little," he said apologetically as he prepared to disinfect a particularly deep gash.
"We think it has to do with the nature of the wolf," Mary said. She hissed a little at the antiseptic. "Wolves keep to their own and thrive in the wild. If they're held in captivity, they go crazy. And wolves can't really be domesticated. Even if you breed one with a dog, you're not guaranteed to be able to have a wolf-dog as a pet."
"Whereas nearly all the animals in the Juunishi can be contained," Hatori reasoned.
"Right. With the exception of the dragon, which doesn't really exist in our world, all the other animals have either been domesticated or successfully held captive," Mary continued. She didn't miss the glance Hatori gave her when she mentioned the dragon.
"Over the years, Sue's family has passed down the story that the wolf was asked to God's party, but because of the wolf's nature, chose not to attend. Wolves are pack animals and they don't really associate with other animals," Mary explained. "So, the wolf watched from a distance, but was still touched by the curse when the butterfly flapped its wings."
Mary was looking at Sue and Momiji again, a sad look in her eyes. Hatori wondered if she felt guilty or somehow responsible for the curse being a part of Sue's life.
"They fell asleep," Mary murmured.
Hatori's mind suddenly registered the lack of sound in the room and he glanced to where the pair had last been. Sure enough, Sue and Momiji were curled up on the ground, still holding each other, sleeping peacefully.
"What animal is he?" Mary asked.
"A rabbit," Hatori answered.
"That explains why he's so bouncy and playful," Mary mused. "A good companion for Sue."
Hatori studied her profile.
"Would you sit in the chair, please?" he asked. "I can better look at your knee that way."
"Of course," she replied.
The room fell silent again as Hatori worked. Mary studied his face, marveling at the total concentration he seemed to have. Upon first glance, he looked like a serious and rigid man. She'd only known him for a short while, but she could tell it was only the surface of his personality. Also, Momiji clearly loved him and looked up to him and children were often good judges of a person's real character.
"So," Hatori said, unnerved by the quietness and the feel of Mary's eyes staring at him. "I can tell Sue-san is not from around here. What about you?"
"I'm a displaced Siberian-American. She's a doubly displaced Netherlander," Mary replied simply. "My company transferred me to their Tokyo branch last month. I've actually been here for two, though, getting settled and familiar with the area."
"Your Japanese is excellent for a non-native speaker," Hatori said with genuine admiration.
"Thank you," Mary said, nodding her head in acknowledgement. "I studied it for a couple years when I was still in University and kept it up after I graduated. When I found out I'd be coming here, my company put me through a business and conversational Japanese course for several weeks, which helped a lot."
Mary nodded over her shoulder. "Sue is having a harder time. She didn't decide to come to Japan until after I'd arrived. Then we had to scramble to get all the paperwork done so she could spend the next school year over here."
"She'll be a junior at Kaibara High School this coming year," Mary explained. "Right now she's attending a special summer session designed to get her used to the system as well as teach her some Japanese. But since they don't really make Japanese text books for Dutch people she has to use an English one. So, doing a double translation on her part is sometimes frustrating."
"How do you know each other?" Hatori asked. He gently applied the rest of the bandages as he listened to Mary's story.
"We're related, actually," Mary said, trying not to pay attention to the feel of Hatori's fingers gently pressing on her knee. "One of my mother's sisters married one of her mother's brothers."
"Cousins," Hatori concluded. "I suppose it makes some sort of sense that you're related. The main Juunishi curse stayed in my family, after all."
"True," Mary mused. "Anyway, Sue and I, we get along pretty well, despite the fact she's nearly 10 years younger than me. She's probably the closest relative I have outside of my immediate family."
Hatori did some quick mental math. If Sue was going to enter her junior year in high school, she'd be close to Yuki and Kyo's ages. And if Mary was almost 10 years older than Sue, that would put her within a few years of his age.
"All better?" Mary asked, breaking Hatori out of his reverie.
He realized he'd been staring at a point between his face and her knee for the past several moments. And that his hand was still on her leg where he'd just finished applying the last bandage.
"Ah," he replied. Hatori busied himself with putting away his supplies.
"Thank you for taking care of me," Mary said formally and stood. She attempted to step forward, but her sprained ankle chose that moment to rear its ugly head and she stumbled. "Whoa!"
Hatori whirled just in time to catch Mary by the shoulders. Her momentum carried her forward and she found herself resting against his chest. Mary could hear his heartbeat pulsing loudly beneath her ear. They stayed that way for a long moment and Hatori resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her.
Sue suddenly yawned loudly and stretched. Mary quickly stepped back from Hatori, face flaming, and knew at once Sue had seen the whole fiasco. Sue winked at her and Mary blushed even more.
"I'm hungry," Momiji exclaimed, jumping up off the floor.
"You're not the only one," Sue murmured only loud enough for Mary to hear.
Mary stared daggers at Sue.
-
End Chapter 2
Or
How to Mary Sue Yourself and Your Friend into Fruits Basket
by secretjuunishi
-
Fandom: Fruits Basket
Spoilers: for the anime only, although I do mention the name of a Juunishi that is mentioned in the manga
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Pairing: Mary x Hatori, Sue x Shigure
Genre: Humor/Romance/Angst/Drama
Disclaimer: I don't own them...I'm just borrowing them. Hail to Takaya Natsuki.
Summary: Mary Smith and Sue Jones end up in the Fruits Basket universe and they have *secrets.* *spooky music* Mary/Hatori, Sue/Shigure.
Author's Note: Sue made me do it. This started off mostly as a joke. I figure, if you're going to write a Mary Sue story, you may as well make it blatant rather than try to cover it up and pass it off as a non-Mary Sue story when it most definitely is.
-
Chapter 2 of ?
-
They managed to make it all the way into Hatori's office before the inevitable happened.
*pyon*
Hatori suddenly found himself with his arms full of naked woman. He quickly released her, spun around, and pointed toward the corner.
"There is a changing screen there," he said, voice unbelievably calm.
Mary made a run for it, limping slightly. Sue took her time. Mary plotted revenge.
"You know," Sue started. "You should have seen the looks on your faces."
"I was trying not to look at him," Mary growled, making a grab for her clothes.
"But really, you guys looked so cute together," Sue teased, holding Mary's clothes just out of reach.
"It's just too bad he wasn't naked, either," Sue mused, taking a mock thoughtful stance.
"Sue."
"I wonder what that would have looked like," Sue continued.
"Sue." Mary tried to get the other girl's attention.
"I mean, he's older, but he is pretty cute." Sue clearly wasn't listening.
"Sue!"
"What?" She waggled an eyebrow.
"Did you notice?" Mary said, trying for a different approach.
"Notice what? That he had his hands on your-"
"That I'm still in my human form," Mary said, cutting her off.
"And?" Sue was mildly interested.
"We were touching. Really touching, Sue. And I. Didn't. Transform."
"You know, you're right."
And as Mary had predicted, Sue gestured forward with her hands giving Mary the perfect opportunity to grab her clothes without exposing herself again.
"No fair!" Sue whined.
Mary stuck her tongue out at Sue behind the safety of the changing screen. Mary dressed quickly, smoothing down her clothes and fluffing her hair, much to Sue's amusement, before stepping back into the room.
"Nice boobs," Sue teased.
"Shut up," Mary muttered.
Hatori stood by the now-open sliding paper doors, gazing out across the lovely garden and pond he had as his view. His mind still reeled at the events that had transpired just moments earlier. The girl, Mary, had transformed before his eyes into a creature he knew wasn't part of the Juunishi. And, to make matters more interesting, he didn't transform when they embraced. So she had to be Juunishi, right?
Momiji appeared in the doorway. "Um, Ha'ri-san, what just happened?"
"I don't know, Momiji," he said, more serious than usual. "Hopefully, we'll find out."
He turned and saw the two girls at the far end of the room. They appeared to be arguing about something.
"Hatori-san, may I stay, please?" Momiji pleaded.
Hatori looked down at the boy whose expression was as curious as he felt. Momiji had also been there when it happened, it was only right to let him hear their story, too. He would find out sooner or later anyway. Hatori nodded and Momiji clapped his hands in delight, giving the older man a bright smile. He ushered the boy in before turning toward the women.
"Um, we haven't properly introduced ourselves," Mary said. She gestured toward Sue and said, "This is Sue Jones. I'm Mary Smith. Please excuse our intrusion upon your home."
Both women executed perfect bows.
"Welcome to the Souma house," Momiji said with a grin. His exuberance immediately put Mary and Sue at ease. The situation was awkward enough.
"So," Hatori said. "Let's get right down to it."
Momiji bounced around and produced several tatami mats upon which they could all sit. Tea appeared as well, and while they all got comfortable, Hatori began to speak.
"Have you heard of the curse of the Juunishi?" he asked.
"Just the basics," Mary answered. "We never knew if it really manifested itself, though."
"It did," Hatori said. "The Souma family is afflicted by this curse. Certain members of our family, Momiji and myself included, were born possessed with the cursed spirit of a particular Chinese Zodiac sign."
"Oh!" Sue piped in. "I think I remember reading about this a couple years ago in school. Well, not about the curse, but about the Chinese Zodiac and about the story of the cat. The poor kitty..." Sue started to sniffle.
"Right," Hatori said slowly. "In any case, the term Juunishi is actually not accurate since it means twelve and there are actually fourteen of us."
"Fourteen? You mean the cat and...someone else?" Mary asked.
"Yes. The Souma family leader. He carries the ultimate burden of our curse."
"What would that be?" Mary was extremely intrigued now.
"Death," Hatori said simply. "Not instantly. But drawn out."
"Well, that sucks," Sue remarked.
"Our curse involves transformation," Hatori continued. "Whenever we are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, we turn into our Zodiac forms. The only exception is when we are embraced by Juunishi members of the opposite sex. Nothing happens."
"So, that's why I stayed in my human form after I transformed back," Mary mused.
"It would appear so," Hatori said. "However, it makes no sense as the butterfly is not part of the Chinese Zodiac."
"Well, no, not directly..." Mary trailed off.
Hatori arched an eyebrow.
"Please elaborate," he requested.
Mary gave Sue a sidelong glance and fidgeted a bit on her mat. She took a sip of her tea before speaking.
"Well," Mary began. "Have you ever heard of the saying 'When a butterfly flaps its wings in China...'"
Hatori sat back quickly.
"You mean chaos theory." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes," Mary confirmed. "That's what it's called now, but really it was more like a freak accident at the time."
"When the Juunishi curse first began?" Hatori asked. He was beginning to see the correlation between the butterfly and the Juunishi.
"I don't get it," Momiji said, head tilted to the side.
"Kawaii..." Sue murmured again.
"Well, basically, what we think happened is that the flapping wings of a butterfly upset the system when the Juunishi curse first manifested itself," Mary tried explaining. "As a result, the curse, rather than staying in China, was sort of pushed out of the area and ended up elsewhere."
Mary nodded in the Soumas' direction. "It landed with your family."
"So, because of the butterfly's proximity to the Juunishi," Mary continued, "it became...tainted...with the curse."
"And ended up with your family," Hatori concluded. Mary nodded and gave him a small smile.
Hatori brooded. It made sense, in an odd sort of way. Part of him didn't know how to feel. For generations, the Souma family thought themselves alone in the world of the Juunishi curse. They knew nothing of the butterfly's existence. But here was living proof that it did exist and at least one other family had been touched by the curse. Hatori narrowed his eyes.
"We ought to clean that up," he remarked, his gaze having fallen on Mary's wounds.
"What?" Mary asked, confused. "Oh, right. I'd forgotten." She peered at her cuts and scrapes, some of which had started bleeding again after the transformations.
"Eep!" Sue squeaked before quickly spinning around to face away from Mary and the sight of blood.
Hatori climbed to his feet and retrieved some supplies, returning to kneel in front of Mary and tend to her wounds.
Momiji peered around Hatori's back, still extremely curious about their new acquaintances. His eyes turned to Mary's companion and his brow furrowed as he thought.
"Um, Sue-san?" Momiji started. "What about you?"
Hatori idly listened as he cleaned and bandaged Mary.
"Um, me?" Sue asked. "Well, I'm one, too."
Hatori stopped in mid-movement.
"You are?!" Momiji said with delight. "Yay!!"
Suddenly, Momiji launched himself at Sue, hugging her tightly. Sue squeed and held Momiji close as they fell over.
"Momiji!" Hatori scolded.
"But, Ha'ri-san," the boy whined. "I can hug her and nothing happens!"
"You are so cute!" Sue practically squealed as she attempted to huggle the stuffing out of Momiji.
Hatori swung his gaze back to Mary and arched an eyebrow. "I can't even begin to guess what she might be," he said.
Mary chuckled. "That's because she's still young." She eyed Sue and Momiji huggling and smiled softly.
"She's a wolf," Mary supplied. "One of few creatures that have almost always been around, especially in mythology. Mysterious, fierce. And playful, especially as a pup."
"Playful is a bit of an understatement," Hatori muttered as he watched Sue and Momiji literally rolling around and giggling wildly. "How does the wolf fit into the...mythology...of the Juunishi?"
Hatori continued cleaning Mary's scrapes. "This may sting a little," he said apologetically as he prepared to disinfect a particularly deep gash.
"We think it has to do with the nature of the wolf," Mary said. She hissed a little at the antiseptic. "Wolves keep to their own and thrive in the wild. If they're held in captivity, they go crazy. And wolves can't really be domesticated. Even if you breed one with a dog, you're not guaranteed to be able to have a wolf-dog as a pet."
"Whereas nearly all the animals in the Juunishi can be contained," Hatori reasoned.
"Right. With the exception of the dragon, which doesn't really exist in our world, all the other animals have either been domesticated or successfully held captive," Mary continued. She didn't miss the glance Hatori gave her when she mentioned the dragon.
"Over the years, Sue's family has passed down the story that the wolf was asked to God's party, but because of the wolf's nature, chose not to attend. Wolves are pack animals and they don't really associate with other animals," Mary explained. "So, the wolf watched from a distance, but was still touched by the curse when the butterfly flapped its wings."
Mary was looking at Sue and Momiji again, a sad look in her eyes. Hatori wondered if she felt guilty or somehow responsible for the curse being a part of Sue's life.
"They fell asleep," Mary murmured.
Hatori's mind suddenly registered the lack of sound in the room and he glanced to where the pair had last been. Sure enough, Sue and Momiji were curled up on the ground, still holding each other, sleeping peacefully.
"What animal is he?" Mary asked.
"A rabbit," Hatori answered.
"That explains why he's so bouncy and playful," Mary mused. "A good companion for Sue."
Hatori studied her profile.
"Would you sit in the chair, please?" he asked. "I can better look at your knee that way."
"Of course," she replied.
The room fell silent again as Hatori worked. Mary studied his face, marveling at the total concentration he seemed to have. Upon first glance, he looked like a serious and rigid man. She'd only known him for a short while, but she could tell it was only the surface of his personality. Also, Momiji clearly loved him and looked up to him and children were often good judges of a person's real character.
"So," Hatori said, unnerved by the quietness and the feel of Mary's eyes staring at him. "I can tell Sue-san is not from around here. What about you?"
"I'm a displaced Siberian-American. She's a doubly displaced Netherlander," Mary replied simply. "My company transferred me to their Tokyo branch last month. I've actually been here for two, though, getting settled and familiar with the area."
"Your Japanese is excellent for a non-native speaker," Hatori said with genuine admiration.
"Thank you," Mary said, nodding her head in acknowledgement. "I studied it for a couple years when I was still in University and kept it up after I graduated. When I found out I'd be coming here, my company put me through a business and conversational Japanese course for several weeks, which helped a lot."
Mary nodded over her shoulder. "Sue is having a harder time. She didn't decide to come to Japan until after I'd arrived. Then we had to scramble to get all the paperwork done so she could spend the next school year over here."
"She'll be a junior at Kaibara High School this coming year," Mary explained. "Right now she's attending a special summer session designed to get her used to the system as well as teach her some Japanese. But since they don't really make Japanese text books for Dutch people she has to use an English one. So, doing a double translation on her part is sometimes frustrating."
"How do you know each other?" Hatori asked. He gently applied the rest of the bandages as he listened to Mary's story.
"We're related, actually," Mary said, trying not to pay attention to the feel of Hatori's fingers gently pressing on her knee. "One of my mother's sisters married one of her mother's brothers."
"Cousins," Hatori concluded. "I suppose it makes some sort of sense that you're related. The main Juunishi curse stayed in my family, after all."
"True," Mary mused. "Anyway, Sue and I, we get along pretty well, despite the fact she's nearly 10 years younger than me. She's probably the closest relative I have outside of my immediate family."
Hatori did some quick mental math. If Sue was going to enter her junior year in high school, she'd be close to Yuki and Kyo's ages. And if Mary was almost 10 years older than Sue, that would put her within a few years of his age.
"All better?" Mary asked, breaking Hatori out of his reverie.
He realized he'd been staring at a point between his face and her knee for the past several moments. And that his hand was still on her leg where he'd just finished applying the last bandage.
"Ah," he replied. Hatori busied himself with putting away his supplies.
"Thank you for taking care of me," Mary said formally and stood. She attempted to step forward, but her sprained ankle chose that moment to rear its ugly head and she stumbled. "Whoa!"
Hatori whirled just in time to catch Mary by the shoulders. Her momentum carried her forward and she found herself resting against his chest. Mary could hear his heartbeat pulsing loudly beneath her ear. They stayed that way for a long moment and Hatori resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her.
Sue suddenly yawned loudly and stretched. Mary quickly stepped back from Hatori, face flaming, and knew at once Sue had seen the whole fiasco. Sue winked at her and Mary blushed even more.
"I'm hungry," Momiji exclaimed, jumping up off the floor.
"You're not the only one," Sue murmured only loud enough for Mary to hear.
Mary stared daggers at Sue.
-
End Chapter 2