"Oohhh, just wait till I get my hands on that damn Hatori...I'm gonna kill him!" fumed Kyo as he 'walked' towards the main house.
"Hey, baka neko! Slow down, would you? You're practically burning the road down..." Yuki's voice came from behind and Kyo scowled and made a face at Yuki.
"Dumb rat! If you can't keep up, say so!" he said, waving his fist at Yuki.
"Is that a challenge??" Yuki asked, his eyes narrowing and before you knew it, they were racing down the streets like there was no tomorrow.
"NO FAIR!!! YOU had a HEADSTART!!!" Kyo yelled, pointing his finger at Yuki and you could practically see his cat ears sticking out.
"Sore loser..." Yuki muttered calmly and opened the gates and went in without Kyo.
Kyo immediately shut up and followed Yuki, grumbling under his breath and then eventually falling silent.
Even though Akiyo had been gone for almost 3 years now, it still unnerved them to come to the main house.
"Where's Hatori's house?" Kyo asked his voice lowered.
"There, up ahead...strange...why are the lights out?" Yuki murmured uneasiness laced his voice.
"Come on...if Hatori did anything to Tohru..." Kyo said, hissing under his breath and running as fast as he could.
"Baka Neko!" Yuki muttered and ran after Kyo, concern and worry fogging his mind.
They reached the house and Kyo flung the door open.
"Hatori? Tohru?" he shouted but the dark room was silent.
No one answered.
Kyo ventured to go inside but Yuki stopped him.
"Turn on the lights first...it'll be easier to see..." Yuki said and for once, without argument, he complied.
The light threw the room in a dull yellow color.
Still no Hatori nor Tohru.
"Search the rooms..." Yuki commanded but Kyo was already doing that.
"No sign of her...or Hatori..." Kyo said, frowning, anxious.
"I found a note..." Yuki said, emotionlessly.
Kyo snatched up the note and read it.
His eyes widened and then he threw the note, cursing and swearing till he was blue in the face.
"Damn Hatori..." Yuki said softly under his breath, looking at the empty room.
I'll be back with Tohru in a month.
Hatori
"You've been in love with her all this time and you never realized?" Shigure asked, disbelief in his voice.
Hatori felt confused and so he turned away.
He felt Shigure's gentle hands land on his shoulder.
"Look, 'Tori...we've been friends since we were kids...Hell, since forever maybe...did you think you could keep this from us? Ok, maybe you did...but sooner or later...how long did you love her?"
Hatori shook his head, reaching out to gently touch Tohru's hand.
"I don't know...I don't know...I didn't know what I felt for Tohru was love till...now...all these years...I don't know how long I loved her...maybe since I met her for the first time...At first she reminded me of Kana...but as time passed...I realized she was different...she wasn't Kana..."
The silence seemed so loud after Hatori's confession.
The sharp sound of Shigure's laughter pierced the room.
Hatori's eyes widened in surprise and he turned to face his best friend, who was laughing.
Shigure laughed and laughed and then when he finally stopped, he looked at Hatori with tears in his eyes.
"Shigure..."
"You stupid moron! You baka! You know you're such an idiot, right?" Shigure said harshly and Hatori blinked in shock.
"Yes, you are! 4 years! 4 long years! From the first day that Tohru came, till the day that she left, you never realized! Baka! You loved her secretly! You wasted that 4 years, you know that? Wasted it on this stupid family! Gave your life for this family! Since the time you were born, since the time you were of age, you were always the one who suffered, who had to bear Akito's rage! All the pain! And the curse of your Zodiac...and when your chance at happiness was ruined, what do you do? You simply hide your pain! And when your second chance at happiness arrives, what do you do? You hide! BAKA!" Shigure shouted and lunged at Hatori, who caught his friend, sadness etched in his features.
"Why? We're not...worthy...of you..." Shigure said breathing harshly against Hatori's chest.
Hatori's features mellowed and he softly hugged Shigure nearer.
"Because you are family...because no matter how stupid you all are, you are family and I love all of you...that's why..." Hatori said and Shigure's eyes widened in shock this time.
"Hatori..." Shigure whispered, tears forming in his eyes.
Hatori held the crying Shigure closer.
"Dumb mutt...why do you cry for me when I don't cry over myself? That's the way things have always been, baka...you should know better..." Hatori said chuckling sadly.
"Yea, yea...stupid Hatori..." Shigure said, wiping his eyes and nose on the sleeve of his kimono.
Silence fell and they could hear the gentle breathing of Tohru as she slept.
"Hatori...grab this chance...Akito's no longer here...Tohru's sure of what she wants...and you...you deserve happiness, more than ever...Take her...and go somewhere..." Shigure said, looking at Hatori.
Hatori chuckled humorously.
"Been reading too much of that novel of yours, Shigure?" teased Hatori.
"Hatori, I'm serious!!" snapped Shigure and Hatori saw that he really was serious.
"Shigure...you know...it's not possible...I have the clinic to run...and...what would the others think?" Hatori said.
"Damn them! I don't give a toot about what they think and neither should you...you're just afraid, you big coward! You're afraid to make this work!" Shigure said accusingly, poking him in the chest.
"No, I'm not..." Hatori said, narrowing his eyes in anger.
"Oh, yea? Then why are you so afraid to escape? To run free?"
Hatori looked down at his hand and sighed.
He looked up at Shigure who was waiting for his answer.
He smiled.
"Shigure...as long as I could remember...I had always been in the Sohma household. From the very first day...till now...you might say I'm tamed...how can you expect a caged bird to rush to freedom when it never knew what freedom was?"
"Then let Tohru show you...she set us all free once...she can do the same again...take a chance..." Shigure offered, gently poking Hatori.
"I..."
"Then it's settled! I'll try to delay the others from visiting! One week...and then you and Tohru will set off..." Shigure said grinning.
"But..."
"No buts! You're going to Hokkaido with Tohru! Yup! I've got a house there by the sea...no one knows about it..." Shigure said grinning even widely now.
So that was how Hatori and Tohru were in a train towards Hokkaido.
Tohru, when she was all better, of course didn't hesitate to jump at the offer.
Hatori watched as Tohru leaned against the cold window and blew her breath against it, fogging it up.
Then with her finger, she wrote her name, which slowly faded away.
Hatori hid a smile at Tohru's expression of rapture.
"I've never seen snow this white or this deep," Tohru said, turning to face Hatori, her face shining and her azure eyes sparkling.
"Aren't you afraid?" Hatori asked, leaning forward.
"Eh?" Tohru asked, tilting her head in a Tohru-like fashion.
"The snow's so white that it may blind you...and you may even drown in it if it piles up too high...snow's so cold..." Hatori said looking out.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"Eh?" This time it was Hatori's turn.
"Snow's white...it's almost like innocence has taken a form and it's raining down on us...snow...it's not cold...it's cold at first but then...later, it'll gradually melt...it's so soft..." Tohru said and smiled.
Hatori didn't know what to do so he simply turned back to look at the scenery, pretending to be fascinated by it.
Hours later, they were on a bus heading to the little town by the sea.
Tohru was so sleepy that she fell asleep immediately as soon as she sat down.
Hatori was so deep in thought he didn't realize it until he felt a gentle bump against his arm.
Looking down, his eyes softened as he looked at the sleeping Tohru.
She sighed softly and slept on.
If she keeps on sleeping at that angle, she'll surely have a crick in her neck when she wakes up, Hatori thought.
Gently, ever so, he lifted her, hooking his hand behind her knees and her shoulder, being careful not to wake her up.
The space in the bus was kinda small but Hatori managed to transfer her to his lap just the same.
Tohru snuggled up to Hatori's chest, deeply breathing in his scent as she snuggled deeper.
Hatori blushed but he gently put his arm around her and continued to look out of the window where the sun was setting and the temperature seemed to drop even more.
What would this new world bring?