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: R
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: More sexiness! Yay!
-
Chapter 10 of ?
-
"This is a cute place," Sue said as they exited Hatori's car. They arrived at Shigure's home late Saturday morning and she was eager to meet the often talked about Yuki, Kyo, and Touru. Of course, she wanted to see Shigure again, too.
"Sue," Mary said coming up beside the other girl. "I don't think your skirt is short enough."
"Ah," Hatori added. "He might not think you're serious wearing that."
Both women stared at Hatori's back as he made his way to Shigure's front door.
"Did he just..."
Mary nodded. "I think so."
Sue gave Mary an appreciative look. "Damn, woman, what have you been doing to him?"
"What?" Mary said with mock shock. "You mean I didn't tell you about the almost hot sex on the ledge outside Hatori's office yesterday? Must've slipped my mind."
Surprised silence followed Mary's statement and she took the opportunity to walk, quickly, to Hatori by the door.
"Oooh, no," Sue said, stalking forward. "You don't get off that easy."
Hatori and Mary shared a glance.
"Perhaps," Mary mused. "Maybe you can work on getting Shigure to."
Before Sue could reply, the front door opened. The first thought in Sue's mind: "Shigure has this pretty young thing living in his house?"
"Hatori-san!" the girl exclaimed. "This is a surprise!"
Mary and Sue exchanged "He didn't tell them?" looks.
"We decided to stop by, Touru-san," Hatori said.
A confused look appeared on Touru's face before she peered around Hatori's shoulder and spotted Mary and Sue.
"Ah! Guests!" A slightly panicked look appeared on Touru's face.
"Touru-kun, who is-?" Shigure appeared at the doorway.
"Ha-san," he said, confused. Then he spotted Mary and Sue. "Er..." A slightly panicked look appeared on Shigure's face.
"They wanted to meet you all," Hatori said nonchalantly, indicating Mary and Sue with a nod of his head.
"Mary-san, Sue-san, this is Honda Touru," Hatori finally introduced. "Touru-san, this is Smith Mary and Jones Sue."
"It's very nice to meet you!" Touru exclaimed before bowing quickly.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Mary and Sue replied, bowing in kind.
"Oh, come in, please!" Touru invited.
The trio made their way inside. As they removed their shoes, Shigure made his exit. Sue made a mental note to find him later.
Touru showed them into the living room where two boys were sitting at a low table, watching TV.
"Souma-kun, Kyo-kun, we have guests!" Touru announced happily.
"Hatori," the dark haired one said in surprise.
"What the Hell are you doing here?" the orange haired one asked.
"These are Souma Yuki and Souma Kyo," Hatori explained ignoring Kyo's question. "Meet Smith Mary and Jones Sue."
Yuki's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, it's nice to meet you. We've heard about you."
"Hrmph," Kyo muttered.
"Are you always this pissed off?" Sue blurted out.
Kyo, realizing she was talking to him, snapped his head around and glared. "I'm not pissed off!"
Sue merely stared back at him.
"Stupid cat..." Yuki muttered.
"Shut up, you damn mouse," Kyo griped.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mary noticed Hatori slip out of the room. "I wonder where he's going..." she thought.
"Oh, by the way," Sue said. "Kagura-san told us to give you all her love, Kyo-san."
Kyo immediately jumped to his feet. "Is...is...is she here?" He looked absolutely petrified.
Sue, having just been about to reply in the negative, smiled mischievously. "Mayyyybe..."
"I'm going out!" Kyo announced before bolting from the room.
Touru returned at that moment with a tray laden with tea and snacks. "Ah! Kyo-kun!" Touru called, but Kyo was already gone.
"Yuki." Hatori had re-entered the room and was now wearing his doctor's coat. "You failed to return to the main house for your monthly exam."
Yuki didn't bother making up an excuse. "I'm fine," he said instead, voice emotionless.
"Nevertheless, school starts again soon and it would be wise to at least checkup on you," Hatori said, equally emotionless.
Yuki sat passively while Hatori checked various vitals and logged them in a notebook. Mary observed the two men and wondered at the history between them. She wondered if they realized they acted exactly the same.
"Would you like some tea?" Touru asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, please," Mary replied. "Thank you."
Touru turned to Sue. "And you?"
"Er, I don't really drink tea..."
"Oh." The crestfallen look on Touru's face nearly made Sue retract her words and drink the tea despite her distaste.
"I know! What do you like? I'll make it...or I'll go and buy it!" Touru exclaimed, coming up toward Sue and kneeling right in front of her.
Mary and Sue exchanged a wide eyed look. This girl was so eager to please...and there was absolutely nothing else to it. She just...wanted to make other people happy, despite her own happiness. In fact, it made her happy to cater to others.
"Um, it's ok, really," Sue tried, desperately trying to get out of the situation.
"There must be something!" Touru persisted. Her need to be a good hostess was nearly blinding.
"Uh...heh...um, water will be fine," Sue finally managed. She was beginning to get frightened.
"Ok!" Touru exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and ran for the kitchen.
"Good," Hatori's voice floated to the girls. "You appear to be growing out of your asthma, Yuki."
The boy merely nodded before grabbing a cup of tea.
Touru returned a moment later with another tray that held a tall glass and a pitcher of ice water.
"Here you go," Touru offered Sue. "I hope it's to your liking."
Sue made a show of drinking some water and looking very satisfied. Something about Touru made her want to do just about anything to make sure she kept smiling. Sue supposed it was part of the girl's charm.
"Oh!" Touru said, clapping her hands together. "It's almost lunch time, I need to make lunch for everyone. Will you be staying?"
Mary looked to Hatori for help but he just sipped his tea. She was in a quandary, now. She didn't want to impose, but Mary felt Touru might be crushed if she said no.
"We'd love to," Mary replied. Touru's face brightened. "But only if it's not any trouble."
"Of course, not!"
"Do you need any help?" Mary asked.
"No, no, I couldn't ask that," Touru said, shaking her head vigorously. "If you'll excuse me, I need to run to the store and get some extra groceries."
"I'll come with you, Honda-san," Yuki spoke.
"Oh, Souma-kun, you don't have to..."
"I need to pick up a few things, anyway. And I can help carry your bags," Yuki said, smiling at the girl.
Touru nodded.
"We'll be back soon, Hatori-san. Will you let Shigure-san know?"
"Ah," Hatori replied, nodding at the two teenagers as they left.
Mary and Sue continued to stare in the direction Touru and Yuki went, wide eyed.
"She's...very cheerful," Mary said.
"Mmm," Hatori agreed. "Touru-san is a unique individual. Needless to say, Shigure's household has not been the same since she arrived."
Mary and Sue exchanged another look. They'd heard a little about Touru and gathered she was an extremely generous and nice person. But now, even knowing her for such a short while, they realized she was positively angelic. This girl could do no wrong.
"No wonder Shigure's so frustrated," Sue thought to herself. "He may be a little on the perverse side, but no matter what he said or did, I doubt any of it would make it beyond Touru's view of the world. She's so pure...so innocent...it almost makes you feel bad for thinking any bad thoughts about her."
"Where is Shigure-san, anyway?" Mary asked.
"Probably hiding in his study," Hatori replied.
"Does he do that often?" Mary wondered.
"Usually, no," Hatori answered. "He has been acting strangely of late." Hatori sipped more tea.
"His room is down the hallway on the right."
"I'll go ask him if he'd like some tea!" Sue announced and bounded off.
Mary looked at Hatori in wonder.
"You surprise me almost every time we meet," she said. Hatori only nodded his head.
"Shigure's behavior is most likely due to Sue-san's presence," he started to explain.
Mary nodded and rose to her feet. She wanted to explore the room a little.
"She is the type of person he likes: energetic, outgoing, doesn't take things too seriously...that type of person."
"I suppose it doesn't hurt that she's a young and pretty high school girl, hmm?" Mary asked, smiling as she made her way to the exterior sliding paper doors.
"No," Hatori said slowly. "It's definitely a plus."
"Does everyone have a view this good from their living rooms?" Mary mused.
Hatori came up behind Mary and wrapped his arms around her. "You like gardens and ponds, don't you?"
"They're peaceful," Mary said. Hatori started nuzzling her behind her ear. "Mmm," Mary murmured happily. "Tell me more."
"Hmm?" Hatori asked as he placed light kisses along Mary's neck.
"I love hearing your voice," Mary said.
"Hmm, all right," Hatori replied. "Would you like to sit by the pond?"
"Uhn!" Mary answered.
Hatori led Mary out toward the pond and they settled themselves by the large boulder in Shigure's backyard. As Mary sat, however, Hatori pulled her closer and sat her in his lap. She grinned at him and put her ear to his chest.
"What do you want me to talk about?" Hatori asked.
"Tell me about your relationship with Yuki-san," Mary said.
"Yuki? Why?"
"I watched you while you examined him. I could tell that there was some history between you," Mary explained. She idly drew patterns on Hatori's shirt with her finger. "And, I don't know if you realized it or not, but you two act very much the same."
Hatori was silent for a moment. "No, I hadn't noticed. But I can see that, now. That's interesting because Yuki and I...we have a complex relationship."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Mary said. She felt sorry for asking such a personal question.
"It's all right," Hatori responded, giving her a gentle smile. "I want to tell you. I want you to know everything."
Mary smiled up at Hatori and wound her arms around his chest, pulling herself closer so she could feel and hear him speak.
"For most of my life, I have had the ability to use hypnosis on people and erase their memories of certain events," Hatori began. "Akito has requested I use that skill, from time to time, to erase the memories of those outside the Souma family who have learned our secret."
"When Yuki was a small boy, there was an incident. He was playing with his friends in the park and tripped, falling onto a girl. Everyone saw him change. And Akito ordered me to erase everyone's memories."
Hatori closed his eyes, reliving the events from so long ago.
"I can still remember the look on Yuki's face afterward. He was so crushed, so sad. No one remembered him and I was the one who'd taken that away. I don't think he's ever forgiven me."
Mary sat up and pressed her forehead to Hatori's. "It must be so difficult for you, to bear the burden of everyone else's memories."
Hatori's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't quite the response he was expecting. He'd expected her to feel sorry for Yuki, he'd never entertained the thought of sympathy towards him.
"It's so unfair," Mary continued. "Everyone else...they can choose to come to you to forget their darkest moments. But you...you not only have to deal with yours but others, too."
She stared at him with worried eyes. "Why do you do it?"
"Ultimately, because it's for the benefit of the family. I can do it, so I do," Hatori answered. "And Akito wishes it."
"Do you always do what Akito tells you to do?"
Hatori searched Mary's eyes, wondering where the conversation was headed.
"For the most part, yes," he admitted. "There have been very few occasions where Akito's requests were not with good reason."
"What if he wanted you to erase my memory?"
Hatori sighed and pulled Mary into a warm hug. "There would be no reason for him to do so. You are like us...you have the same secret."
"I hope you're right," she murmured, relaxing into his embrace.
Hatori said nothing as he remembered the brief conversation he had with Akito several nights before. The head of the Souma family was planning something, but Hatori had no idea what. He sincerely hoped he was right, too.
+
Sue stood just outside Shigure's office and planned her attack. A wicked smile crossed her face but she forced herself to look natural. Tossing aside propriety for the moment, she slid the door open.
"Shigure-san!" Sue called, poking her head inside the study. "I hope I'm not intruding."
He sat behind his low-table desk, pen in hand. He was also wearing his glasses.
"Uh...no, not at all," Shigure said, surprised at the interruption. "Please, come in."
Sue stepped inside. "I came to ask if you wanted tea or anything. Touru-san was kind enough to put some out for us."
"No, thank you. I'm fine," he replied. He still gaped at her, wondering what Sue would do.
"So, this is your office?" Sue asked, looking around.
"Uhn," Shigure answered. "Feel free to look around."
Sue did so and went to a bookshelf directly in front of Shigure's table. Perfect.
"These are all the books you've published?" Sue asked in wonder. "There are so many!"
Sue read the titles slowly, her finger trailing across the backs of the books. She bent down to read the titles of the books on the next shelf. And then she bent down more to read the last shelf. She grinned when she heard Shigure exhale lightly.
Shigure tried not to stare but it was futile. She was teasing him and she knew it. And so did he.
"Well, two can play at this game," Shigure thought. So he ogled her.
But then she leaned over.
And then over some more.
And she was wearing pink panties.
His breath came out in a big whoosh and Shigure found himself leaning forward slightly.
"Did you ever finish that story you were working on, Shigure-san?" Sue asked, whirling around quickly and catching him staring at her. She resisted the urge to grin openly.
"What?" Shigure's back snapped up straight. "Oh, no, not quite. I'm still working on it."
Shigure gaped at the girl. Sue was good. Very good. And she was driving him insane with lust.
"These books on the bottom shelf," Sue mentioned, turning back to the bookcase. "They're not part of your normal writing, are they?"
Shigure contemplated for a moment before standing and moving to where Sue was. He was ever so grateful he normally wore very loose clothing.
"Hmm?" He inquired, looking to where she was pointing. "Oh, these? Yes, I dabble in the young reader market from time to time."
Squatting down, Shigure selected a title and stood, his arm brushing against Sue's leg. Sue's eyebrow quirked.
"Oho," she thought. "Shigure's come to play." Invisible devil horns appeared on Sue's head.
"You might like this one," Shigure offered.
"Er, it might take me a while to read it. I'm afraid my Japanese reading isn't very good because of all the kanji," Sue admitted. She put on a pout and looked worried.
"Well, since it's targeted for younger readers, I decided to go ahead and make it like a manga: kanji with hiragana and katakana beside it. See?"
Shigure placed the book open on a random page on top of the bookshelf. Sue smirked. He'd placed it in such a way that she had to turn around to look at it. As she predicted, Shigure moved closer as soon as she did, just barely touching.
"Can you read this?" Shigure asked. His breath whispered across her ear and Sue shivered.
"Hmm." Sue propped her head up with an elbow and shifted positions, which caused her to move backward slightly. "I think so," Sue replied. She shifted again, distinctly rubbing against Shigure. She heard his breathing change.
"Which one are you having trouble with?" Shigure asked. He applauded himself for keeping his voice calm.
"This one is really hard to read," Sue said, pointing to a long string of complex kanji. "That's a very large phrase."
"Mary would kill me if she knew I was using such horrible, obvious subtext," Sue thought.
"Hmm," Shigure murmured.
Sue sighed at the feel of his breath on her neck. And then he actually moved forward, deliberately rubbing against her. Sue could distinctly feel how aroused Shigure was and it made her grin mischievously.
She bounced on her toes. Once. Twice. Three times.
Shigure nearly exploded.
"Shigure-san! We're home!" Touru's voice called.
Shigure almost screamed.
"Can we finish this lesson later, Shigure-san?" Sue asked, peering over her shoulder. "I'm hungry."
Shigure nodded and hung his head. He didn't trust himself to speak. Instead, he stepped away quickly and gingerly made his way back to his desk.
With a finger to her lips, Sue observed Shigure. "Hmm, maybe that was a little too much," she thought. "Ah, well." Sue smiled wickedly.
"I'm going to go and find out what Touru is making," Sue announced. "Are you coming?"
Shigure resisted the urge to simultaneously groan, glare at Sue, and grab himself. "I'll be out in a minute," he said, putting on a smile.
"Ok!" Sue smiled brightly before bounding out the room.
As the sliding door shut Shigure slowly lowered his head to his table. It was going to be a very long visit.
-
End Chapter 10
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: R
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: More sexiness! Yay!
-
Chapter 10 of ?
-
"This is a cute place," Sue said as they exited Hatori's car. They arrived at Shigure's home late Saturday morning and she was eager to meet the often talked about Yuki, Kyo, and Touru. Of course, she wanted to see Shigure again, too.
"Sue," Mary said coming up beside the other girl. "I don't think your skirt is short enough."
"Ah," Hatori added. "He might not think you're serious wearing that."
Both women stared at Hatori's back as he made his way to Shigure's front door.
"Did he just..."
Mary nodded. "I think so."
Sue gave Mary an appreciative look. "Damn, woman, what have you been doing to him?"
"What?" Mary said with mock shock. "You mean I didn't tell you about the almost hot sex on the ledge outside Hatori's office yesterday? Must've slipped my mind."
Surprised silence followed Mary's statement and she took the opportunity to walk, quickly, to Hatori by the door.
"Oooh, no," Sue said, stalking forward. "You don't get off that easy."
Hatori and Mary shared a glance.
"Perhaps," Mary mused. "Maybe you can work on getting Shigure to."
Before Sue could reply, the front door opened. The first thought in Sue's mind: "Shigure has this pretty young thing living in his house?"
"Hatori-san!" the girl exclaimed. "This is a surprise!"
Mary and Sue exchanged "He didn't tell them?" looks.
"We decided to stop by, Touru-san," Hatori said.
A confused look appeared on Touru's face before she peered around Hatori's shoulder and spotted Mary and Sue.
"Ah! Guests!" A slightly panicked look appeared on Touru's face.
"Touru-kun, who is-?" Shigure appeared at the doorway.
"Ha-san," he said, confused. Then he spotted Mary and Sue. "Er..." A slightly panicked look appeared on Shigure's face.
"They wanted to meet you all," Hatori said nonchalantly, indicating Mary and Sue with a nod of his head.
"Mary-san, Sue-san, this is Honda Touru," Hatori finally introduced. "Touru-san, this is Smith Mary and Jones Sue."
"It's very nice to meet you!" Touru exclaimed before bowing quickly.
"It's nice to meet you, too," Mary and Sue replied, bowing in kind.
"Oh, come in, please!" Touru invited.
The trio made their way inside. As they removed their shoes, Shigure made his exit. Sue made a mental note to find him later.
Touru showed them into the living room where two boys were sitting at a low table, watching TV.
"Souma-kun, Kyo-kun, we have guests!" Touru announced happily.
"Hatori," the dark haired one said in surprise.
"What the Hell are you doing here?" the orange haired one asked.
"These are Souma Yuki and Souma Kyo," Hatori explained ignoring Kyo's question. "Meet Smith Mary and Jones Sue."
Yuki's eyes widened slightly. "Ah, it's nice to meet you. We've heard about you."
"Hrmph," Kyo muttered.
"Are you always this pissed off?" Sue blurted out.
Kyo, realizing she was talking to him, snapped his head around and glared. "I'm not pissed off!"
Sue merely stared back at him.
"Stupid cat..." Yuki muttered.
"Shut up, you damn mouse," Kyo griped.
Out of the corner of her eye, Mary noticed Hatori slip out of the room. "I wonder where he's going..." she thought.
"Oh, by the way," Sue said. "Kagura-san told us to give you all her love, Kyo-san."
Kyo immediately jumped to his feet. "Is...is...is she here?" He looked absolutely petrified.
Sue, having just been about to reply in the negative, smiled mischievously. "Mayyyybe..."
"I'm going out!" Kyo announced before bolting from the room.
Touru returned at that moment with a tray laden with tea and snacks. "Ah! Kyo-kun!" Touru called, but Kyo was already gone.
"Yuki." Hatori had re-entered the room and was now wearing his doctor's coat. "You failed to return to the main house for your monthly exam."
Yuki didn't bother making up an excuse. "I'm fine," he said instead, voice emotionless.
"Nevertheless, school starts again soon and it would be wise to at least checkup on you," Hatori said, equally emotionless.
Yuki sat passively while Hatori checked various vitals and logged them in a notebook. Mary observed the two men and wondered at the history between them. She wondered if they realized they acted exactly the same.
"Would you like some tea?" Touru asked, eyes wide.
"Yes, please," Mary replied. "Thank you."
Touru turned to Sue. "And you?"
"Er, I don't really drink tea..."
"Oh." The crestfallen look on Touru's face nearly made Sue retract her words and drink the tea despite her distaste.
"I know! What do you like? I'll make it...or I'll go and buy it!" Touru exclaimed, coming up toward Sue and kneeling right in front of her.
Mary and Sue exchanged a wide eyed look. This girl was so eager to please...and there was absolutely nothing else to it. She just...wanted to make other people happy, despite her own happiness. In fact, it made her happy to cater to others.
"Um, it's ok, really," Sue tried, desperately trying to get out of the situation.
"There must be something!" Touru persisted. Her need to be a good hostess was nearly blinding.
"Uh...heh...um, water will be fine," Sue finally managed. She was beginning to get frightened.
"Ok!" Touru exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and ran for the kitchen.
"Good," Hatori's voice floated to the girls. "You appear to be growing out of your asthma, Yuki."
The boy merely nodded before grabbing a cup of tea.
Touru returned a moment later with another tray that held a tall glass and a pitcher of ice water.
"Here you go," Touru offered Sue. "I hope it's to your liking."
Sue made a show of drinking some water and looking very satisfied. Something about Touru made her want to do just about anything to make sure she kept smiling. Sue supposed it was part of the girl's charm.
"Oh!" Touru said, clapping her hands together. "It's almost lunch time, I need to make lunch for everyone. Will you be staying?"
Mary looked to Hatori for help but he just sipped his tea. She was in a quandary, now. She didn't want to impose, but Mary felt Touru might be crushed if she said no.
"We'd love to," Mary replied. Touru's face brightened. "But only if it's not any trouble."
"Of course, not!"
"Do you need any help?" Mary asked.
"No, no, I couldn't ask that," Touru said, shaking her head vigorously. "If you'll excuse me, I need to run to the store and get some extra groceries."
"I'll come with you, Honda-san," Yuki spoke.
"Oh, Souma-kun, you don't have to..."
"I need to pick up a few things, anyway. And I can help carry your bags," Yuki said, smiling at the girl.
Touru nodded.
"We'll be back soon, Hatori-san. Will you let Shigure-san know?"
"Ah," Hatori replied, nodding at the two teenagers as they left.
Mary and Sue continued to stare in the direction Touru and Yuki went, wide eyed.
"She's...very cheerful," Mary said.
"Mmm," Hatori agreed. "Touru-san is a unique individual. Needless to say, Shigure's household has not been the same since she arrived."
Mary and Sue exchanged another look. They'd heard a little about Touru and gathered she was an extremely generous and nice person. But now, even knowing her for such a short while, they realized she was positively angelic. This girl could do no wrong.
"No wonder Shigure's so frustrated," Sue thought to herself. "He may be a little on the perverse side, but no matter what he said or did, I doubt any of it would make it beyond Touru's view of the world. She's so pure...so innocent...it almost makes you feel bad for thinking any bad thoughts about her."
"Where is Shigure-san, anyway?" Mary asked.
"Probably hiding in his study," Hatori replied.
"Does he do that often?" Mary wondered.
"Usually, no," Hatori answered. "He has been acting strangely of late." Hatori sipped more tea.
"His room is down the hallway on the right."
"I'll go ask him if he'd like some tea!" Sue announced and bounded off.
Mary looked at Hatori in wonder.
"You surprise me almost every time we meet," she said. Hatori only nodded his head.
"Shigure's behavior is most likely due to Sue-san's presence," he started to explain.
Mary nodded and rose to her feet. She wanted to explore the room a little.
"She is the type of person he likes: energetic, outgoing, doesn't take things too seriously...that type of person."
"I suppose it doesn't hurt that she's a young and pretty high school girl, hmm?" Mary asked, smiling as she made her way to the exterior sliding paper doors.
"No," Hatori said slowly. "It's definitely a plus."
"Does everyone have a view this good from their living rooms?" Mary mused.
Hatori came up behind Mary and wrapped his arms around her. "You like gardens and ponds, don't you?"
"They're peaceful," Mary said. Hatori started nuzzling her behind her ear. "Mmm," Mary murmured happily. "Tell me more."
"Hmm?" Hatori asked as he placed light kisses along Mary's neck.
"I love hearing your voice," Mary said.
"Hmm, all right," Hatori replied. "Would you like to sit by the pond?"
"Uhn!" Mary answered.
Hatori led Mary out toward the pond and they settled themselves by the large boulder in Shigure's backyard. As Mary sat, however, Hatori pulled her closer and sat her in his lap. She grinned at him and put her ear to his chest.
"What do you want me to talk about?" Hatori asked.
"Tell me about your relationship with Yuki-san," Mary said.
"Yuki? Why?"
"I watched you while you examined him. I could tell that there was some history between you," Mary explained. She idly drew patterns on Hatori's shirt with her finger. "And, I don't know if you realized it or not, but you two act very much the same."
Hatori was silent for a moment. "No, I hadn't noticed. But I can see that, now. That's interesting because Yuki and I...we have a complex relationship."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Mary said. She felt sorry for asking such a personal question.
"It's all right," Hatori responded, giving her a gentle smile. "I want to tell you. I want you to know everything."
Mary smiled up at Hatori and wound her arms around his chest, pulling herself closer so she could feel and hear him speak.
"For most of my life, I have had the ability to use hypnosis on people and erase their memories of certain events," Hatori began. "Akito has requested I use that skill, from time to time, to erase the memories of those outside the Souma family who have learned our secret."
"When Yuki was a small boy, there was an incident. He was playing with his friends in the park and tripped, falling onto a girl. Everyone saw him change. And Akito ordered me to erase everyone's memories."
Hatori closed his eyes, reliving the events from so long ago.
"I can still remember the look on Yuki's face afterward. He was so crushed, so sad. No one remembered him and I was the one who'd taken that away. I don't think he's ever forgiven me."
Mary sat up and pressed her forehead to Hatori's. "It must be so difficult for you, to bear the burden of everyone else's memories."
Hatori's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't quite the response he was expecting. He'd expected her to feel sorry for Yuki, he'd never entertained the thought of sympathy towards him.
"It's so unfair," Mary continued. "Everyone else...they can choose to come to you to forget their darkest moments. But you...you not only have to deal with yours but others, too."
She stared at him with worried eyes. "Why do you do it?"
"Ultimately, because it's for the benefit of the family. I can do it, so I do," Hatori answered. "And Akito wishes it."
"Do you always do what Akito tells you to do?"
Hatori searched Mary's eyes, wondering where the conversation was headed.
"For the most part, yes," he admitted. "There have been very few occasions where Akito's requests were not with good reason."
"What if he wanted you to erase my memory?"
Hatori sighed and pulled Mary into a warm hug. "There would be no reason for him to do so. You are like us...you have the same secret."
"I hope you're right," she murmured, relaxing into his embrace.
Hatori said nothing as he remembered the brief conversation he had with Akito several nights before. The head of the Souma family was planning something, but Hatori had no idea what. He sincerely hoped he was right, too.
+
Sue stood just outside Shigure's office and planned her attack. A wicked smile crossed her face but she forced herself to look natural. Tossing aside propriety for the moment, she slid the door open.
"Shigure-san!" Sue called, poking her head inside the study. "I hope I'm not intruding."
He sat behind his low-table desk, pen in hand. He was also wearing his glasses.
"Uh...no, not at all," Shigure said, surprised at the interruption. "Please, come in."
Sue stepped inside. "I came to ask if you wanted tea or anything. Touru-san was kind enough to put some out for us."
"No, thank you. I'm fine," he replied. He still gaped at her, wondering what Sue would do.
"So, this is your office?" Sue asked, looking around.
"Uhn," Shigure answered. "Feel free to look around."
Sue did so and went to a bookshelf directly in front of Shigure's table. Perfect.
"These are all the books you've published?" Sue asked in wonder. "There are so many!"
Sue read the titles slowly, her finger trailing across the backs of the books. She bent down to read the titles of the books on the next shelf. And then she bent down more to read the last shelf. She grinned when she heard Shigure exhale lightly.
Shigure tried not to stare but it was futile. She was teasing him and she knew it. And so did he.
"Well, two can play at this game," Shigure thought. So he ogled her.
But then she leaned over.
And then over some more.
And she was wearing pink panties.
His breath came out in a big whoosh and Shigure found himself leaning forward slightly.
"Did you ever finish that story you were working on, Shigure-san?" Sue asked, whirling around quickly and catching him staring at her. She resisted the urge to grin openly.
"What?" Shigure's back snapped up straight. "Oh, no, not quite. I'm still working on it."
Shigure gaped at the girl. Sue was good. Very good. And she was driving him insane with lust.
"These books on the bottom shelf," Sue mentioned, turning back to the bookcase. "They're not part of your normal writing, are they?"
Shigure contemplated for a moment before standing and moving to where Sue was. He was ever so grateful he normally wore very loose clothing.
"Hmm?" He inquired, looking to where she was pointing. "Oh, these? Yes, I dabble in the young reader market from time to time."
Squatting down, Shigure selected a title and stood, his arm brushing against Sue's leg. Sue's eyebrow quirked.
"Oho," she thought. "Shigure's come to play." Invisible devil horns appeared on Sue's head.
"You might like this one," Shigure offered.
"Er, it might take me a while to read it. I'm afraid my Japanese reading isn't very good because of all the kanji," Sue admitted. She put on a pout and looked worried.
"Well, since it's targeted for younger readers, I decided to go ahead and make it like a manga: kanji with hiragana and katakana beside it. See?"
Shigure placed the book open on a random page on top of the bookshelf. Sue smirked. He'd placed it in such a way that she had to turn around to look at it. As she predicted, Shigure moved closer as soon as she did, just barely touching.
"Can you read this?" Shigure asked. His breath whispered across her ear and Sue shivered.
"Hmm." Sue propped her head up with an elbow and shifted positions, which caused her to move backward slightly. "I think so," Sue replied. She shifted again, distinctly rubbing against Shigure. She heard his breathing change.
"Which one are you having trouble with?" Shigure asked. He applauded himself for keeping his voice calm.
"This one is really hard to read," Sue said, pointing to a long string of complex kanji. "That's a very large phrase."
"Mary would kill me if she knew I was using such horrible, obvious subtext," Sue thought.
"Hmm," Shigure murmured.
Sue sighed at the feel of his breath on her neck. And then he actually moved forward, deliberately rubbing against her. Sue could distinctly feel how aroused Shigure was and it made her grin mischievously.
She bounced on her toes. Once. Twice. Three times.
Shigure nearly exploded.
"Shigure-san! We're home!" Touru's voice called.
Shigure almost screamed.
"Can we finish this lesson later, Shigure-san?" Sue asked, peering over her shoulder. "I'm hungry."
Shigure nodded and hung his head. He didn't trust himself to speak. Instead, he stepped away quickly and gingerly made his way back to his desk.
With a finger to her lips, Sue observed Shigure. "Hmm, maybe that was a little too much," she thought. "Ah, well." Sue smiled wickedly.
"I'm going to go and find out what Touru is making," Sue announced. "Are you coming?"
Shigure resisted the urge to simultaneously groan, glare at Sue, and grab himself. "I'll be out in a minute," he said, putting on a smile.
"Ok!" Sue smiled brightly before bounding out the room.
As the sliding door shut Shigure slowly lowered his head to his table. It was going to be a very long visit.
-
End Chapter 10