Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket but I do own Tanomi! -
"ba-ba-Aaya!" She screamed as she released Shigure and hugged Ayame tight. "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too!" He hugged back. "Tori-san called and told me that you were coming to Gure-san's! So I closed the store, told Mine to go home and came here forthwith!" He told her pulling away to look at her. She wore a long-sleeve sky-blue dress shirt and long black pants that fit comfortably with something that felt like soft feathers at the bottom. (Ayame made the pants.) "Look at you… my little Tano-kun all grown up!" His hands fell to her wrists, his slender fingers wrapping around them.
She winced then shivered a bit, the action reminded her of Akito. Hatori caught the wince but not the shiver. Hatori knew there could be only three reasons her wrist hurt: 1) she was practicing gymnastics behind his back, 2) Akito hurt her, or 3) she cut her wrist. He could rule out the first one, and quite frankly he had hoped Akito had done something to her. If she hurt herself again… more over, if Shigure found out. The dog didn't know about her previous attempts because no one told him. The first time she was rushed to the hospital because she had 'hurt herself', Hatori told him and Ayame that she had slipped and her arm scrapped over a scalpel they would be using to dissect a frog later that day.
This last part was true; they were going to dissect a frog that day and she had used that particular scalpel; but she hadn't slipped. She used the scalpel to penetrate the skin on her arm, running it up all the way to her inner elbow. After that Hatori wouldn't let her around razors or knives for at least two years. Tanomi had also met and helped care for Kana. She had always liked Kana-san but couldn't understand why she had let Akito get to her. Only a few months later, she found out.
Akito had always done odd things to her but always told her it was normal. This, she knew, was not normal, just by the way he looked that night, how much it hurt…he had caught her walking around the halls late one night and said she deserved to by punished. What Akito did to her remains a mystery to all but one, he had also been walking around the halls, going to Tanomi's room; but he couldn't tell anyone and hasn't been able to face her since…
Tanomi ran to the car and got out her backpack, then, in-between Ayame and Shigure, clasped her hands with theirs, Shigure on the right Ayame on the left, walking to Shigure's house. (Which is like two feet away).
"Tanomi-kun, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment. Alone." Hatori said as she took off her shoes.
"Sure." She said, now Shigure and Ayame could have come up with some wonderful jokes about that but since it was their Tanomi…
"What'd you need to see me about ba-ba?" She asked looking to Hatori with big innocent eyes.
"Let me see your arm." Hatori demanded.
She was hesitant at first but obliged and held out her right arm. Hatori unbutton the shirt cuffs and examined her pale slender arm. He found no new cuts but then, she still had another arm and there was no telling which arm she had winced about earlier.
"Now the other…" the doctor said slightly relieved in not finding anything wrong. Again he examined her arm which had no cuts on it. Only this arm, her left arm, had big scar running from her wrist to her inner elbow. Hatori sighed remembering the incident, finding her on the floor in a pool of blood. "I saw you wince earlier and felt I had to check. Did you hurt you wrist?"
"A little bit." She smiled sweetly. "This is gonna sound kind of stupid but, I was in a hurry to get dressed today and I fell, my hand broke my fall." She laughed a bit nervously.
"Some how I don't doubt that…" Hatori walked out the door as she buttoned up the cuffs again.
"Hey what's that supposed to mean?" She pouted walking out of the kitchen. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree you know…" she told him as they walked through the house in search of the other 2/3 of the mabudachi trio.
"I not your father so that doesn't apply to me." He said a bit cold but playful as well.
"Maybe, but you're the closest thing I have to one so…" she blushed a little. She had never told Hatori that, with the exception of when she was younger and didn't now any different. "So, to me, it does apply."
Hatori's lips curled into a proud smile as they walked into Shigure's room. The dog was seated at his desk with a cigarette in his mouth. The snake was sitting on his desk; the two were apparently in the middle of a conversation when a smiling Hatori and a lightly blushing Tanomi walked in the room. They both stopped and looked at the intruding pair with confusion on their faces.
"What?" Hatori's solemn mask was replaced on his face.
"What are you so happy about Haa-san?" Shigure's lips curled into a mischievous smile.
"Nothing that concerns you." Was Hatori's calm reply.
"Now Haa-san, that wasn't very nice." Shigure whined. "Hmm?" He heard the door open and close then three sets of footsteps. "Looks like they're home early." Shigure looked at his door that Tanomi was standing next to. "Would you like to meet your future lover?" For this Shigure was smacked on the head by non other than Hatori.
Tanomi blushed but nodded. They all walked into the sitting room and sat around the table. Shigure sat at the end Hatori on his right and Ayame on his left. Tanomi (who was the last to sit down.) Sat next to Ayame. With that, all three walked in the room.
"Welcome home! Did you have an early release at school?" Shigure asked the trio.
"Hello!" Tohru said cheerfully.
"We're home early because Momiji and Haru burned down the school." Yuki said to the group before laying eyes on Tanomi.
"That's my cue to leave." Hatori got up. Tanomi's heart skipped a beat as she looked at her father figure with pleading eyes that begged him not to leave. Hatori saw Tanomi's insecurity and smiled at her. "Shigure and Ayame are here. You'll be fine. And remember, most things that happen here Akito never finds out about." He started toward the door.
"But ba-ba…" she stood up and ran to him. "I want a hug before you go…" she hugged him tight, not knowing when she would see him again. To be honest, she was scarred. Even if Shigure and Ayame were here, Hatori knew her better than anyone and she knew that.
"What the hell did you just call him?" Kyo asked.
Tanomi looked at him and blushed. She had never seen anyone so…so…handsome! But then, she hadn't seen many people.
"Leave her alone, baka neko." Yuki said 'baka neko' in a whisper so no one would hear it but Kyo. Tanomi's eyes widened when she heard the word 'neko'. That boy was the cat? The one she's not allowed to speak with? That is so not fair…
"He's the cat?" She quirked an eyebrow and looked at Yuki, who didn't realize she could hear that well. Yuki and Kyo froze. Even if she was part of the Sohma family she might not have known about the curse… then they realized something; Hatori didn't go poof! She hugged him but there was no poof.
"Yes, this is Kyo, he's the cat. This is Yuki; he's the rat. And this is our beloved Tohru-kun!" Shigure said in a cheery voice.
"Oh! Right, I'm Tohru Honda, it's very nice to meet you." She bowed politely.
"Tanomi Sohma at your service!" She bowed.
"And I at yours." Tohru said and the two giggled. "So you're a Sohma?"
"Yep." She waved good bye to Hatori as he walked out the door.
"So little brother, how are things as student council president?" Ayame loudly asked his brother.
"Fine." Yuki said in a placid voice sitting down. Suddenly there was low rumble from Kyo's stomach.
"Damn it…what's for lunch?" Kyo asked impatiently.
"Oh. Let me go make something." Tohru got up and went to the kitchen. Tanomi resumed her spot next to Ayame.
"Shigure…" Yuki stated calmly looking at Tanomi. "Why didn't Hatori change? She's not part of the zodiac."
"Not part of the zodiac, but she is part of the curse." Shigure answered his cousin.
"I'm not allowed to discuss it unless asked directly." She looked at Yuki then at Kyo. "I'm also not allowed to speak with the cat…Akito's orders. Fat chance I'll listen to him though…" Shigure and Ayame smiled at her; they both knew she hardly ever listened to the head and she always got away with it; but lately, they didn't know it but, she hasn't been able to retort against the clan God. Hatori noticed, but he notices everything…
"Bet you wouldn't say that to Akito's face…" Kyo looked away from her.
"I already have."
"What did he do?" Ayame asked concerned about her.
"He threw me against a wall." She laughed. "He wasn't very happy but then when is he ever happy?"
"What happened?" Shigure was now interested. If anyone, even Akito, had done something to seriously hurt her there would be hell to pay...
"It was nothing really…" Tanomi stammered trying to think up some excuse. "He just wanted me to go get something and I didn't want to." She laughed nervously. "I don't even remember what it was."
"Gure-san. Calm down." Ayame placed a hand on Shigure's. "She's fine; nothing happened…" he reassured the dog.
"That's right ba-ba-gure! He didn't even bruise me! I was fine!" She smiled at Shigure, calming him down.
"As long as you're sure you're alright!" Shigure piped.
"Of course!" She nodded her head. Kyo and Yuki looked a bit lost. Since did you have to calm Shigure down? Ayame caught both their faces and decided to explain.
"If I'm correct, you two aren't sure why we had to calm darling Gure-san." Ayame said putting an elbow on the table. "Well, when Tano-kun was younger she yelled at Akito and he in turn, broke her arm. Shigure wasn't to happy when he saw her again. In fact, Tori-san, Tano-kun and I had to stop him from going and 'seeing' Akito. We had to admit, seeing Shigure like that was scary… he looked like he was going to kill Akito; that is if Akito didn't die form a heart attack when he knocked the door down. It was one of those times when you almost think 'poor Akito…' if Shigure were to get his hands on him."
"I didn't yell. I told him: he was the one that called me here and that seeing Hatsu-Haru, or whatever his name is, when he walked out of Akito's room wasn't my fault. Needless to say, he didn't like that." Tanomi looked around the room as if searching for something.
"Your backpack's in my room" Shigure said, seeing her eyes wander over the room.
"Actually, I was thinking I should call Akito, to tell him I'm here. At least that way he won't give ba-ba-tori such a hard time…"
"Come along darling, I'll show you where to go!" Ayame said leading Tanomi down the hall.
"Um, I don't the number." Tanomi said picking up the phone. As Ayame told the teen the phone number to Hatori's office she dialed and put the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" An unfamiliar voice answered the phone. Tanomi immediately, out of fear and confusion, handed the phone to Ayame. (A/n: you can't say you've never done that…)
Ayame looked confused for a second then took the phone. "Yes, hello." He said.
"Hello? Ayame? What was the pause for?" Haru's stoic voice came through the receiver.
"Um, well I was wandering if I could talk to Akito…" he paused for a reply.
"He's gonna wanna know why…" Haru said.
"Tell him: his future is calling." Ayame said dramatically.
"Whatever, you guys get weirder by the day." Haru said putting the phone down on Hatori's desk to go to Akito's room.
Footsteps could be heard, then mumbling in the background. Next the footsteps became louder as they reached the phone. "Ayame?" Came the chilling voice of the Sohma clan head.
"Yes?" Ayame answered, shuddering as if the chill inAkito's voice reached through the cords of the telephone polls and into the back of the snake.
"Put her on the phone." His smooth words again, cascaded their way through phone cords to the spine of the silver serpent. Ayame handed the phone to the young lady standing in front of him; she had a confused look on her beautiful features. Ayame smiled sweetly at her and patted her head before walking back down the hall and into the sitting room.
A/n: Ooooohhh… What's gonna happen? To be honest, not even I know… but I promise the next chap will be better! This one sucked! I was on a total writer's block! I erased and rewrote this damn chapter like five times! Oh well… read and review! Oh! and i decided Akito will be a guy in this fic!
hugs kisses and ale all 'round
gure's lil inu