Author's Note: Thanks to EmiRay and NaruNaru.O.k for the reviews. EmiRay: I'm sorry that you thought the first chapter was a bit boring. Hopefully this chapter will be more exciting for you. Thank you for wanting to stick with this story despite how you felt and thank you for being honest. NaruNaru.O.k: I'm glad you enjoyed the story and thanks for your interest. I'm glad you like Brei-san. More of his history will be revealed in this chapter.
Please enjoy and review. Keep in mind all the warnings and disclaimers mentioned in the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this and please be gentle.
Chapter Two
Run, wolf warrior, to ends eternal
Through the wreckage of the death of the day
Scent of silence under starlight spinning
A captured beast within a human skin
Are you searching for long lost landscapes
Lit by flowers and crystal cascades?
Where the lamb lies down with the lion
Where the wolf is one with the wild
"run, wolf warrior, run"
Wolf's Rain soundtrack
The wind ran through his fur as he raced through the woods, chasing a rabbit. It was a gorgeous, chilly day. The chill exhilarated him. It was a break in the fastly approaching warm weather. The forest was quiet except for a few bird cries, but then he figured that the animals were all scared of him.
As he caught up to the rabbit he jumped over it, snapping at it playfully. The rabbit scurried away. He brought his head up to sniff at the wind. It smelled of spring despite its crispness and distantly he could just make out the scent of a stream. Turning in the direction of the scent, he sprinted after it, weaving in and out of the trees.
Brennan closed his eyes as another fresh breeze blew. He always enjoyed the wind. It smelled of freedom, traveling the world and seeing many things. It had been there when he had lost his memory. It knew who he really was even if he didn't.
Brennan sighed and looked back down at the book he was reading. It was the one Hatori had given him the other day. He had read quite a bit of it already, but hadn't found it of much help. It just really confirmed what he was feeling already. The most useful section to him was the one he had read the day the book was given to him. Now he just had to figure out how he was going to accomplish having a memory flash while experiencing high adrenaline.
There was a very small list of things that got his blood pumping and they didn't always work. Riding his bike was one of them. Fighting was another, but he wasn't going to pick a fight with someone just so he could have a memory flash. And those were about the only things.
Brennan sighed again, banging his head lightly against the tree he was leaning back on. Was there nothing else he could do to get his memory back? What was Hatori keeping from him? Some dark secret? Was it better if he didn't get his memory back?
He slammed the book closed and then leaned forward to stare down at his reflection in the stream. Shoulder-length black hair framed a solemn face. Grey almond-shaped eyes looked almost canine. A silver earring in his left ear spoke of possibly a rebellious past. Who was he?
He rubbed his hand across his face and then through his hair. Brennan glanced down at his watch. It was nearing lunch time. He figured he should head back.
Picking up his book, Brennan stood, striding over to the path and taking his time as he headed home. The leaves rippled as the breeze touched them. He smiled as he watched two squirrels playing tag. They chattered at each other as they raced through the trees and out of sight.
He was briefly wondering what Tohru was going to make for lunch when he stepped on a tree root and felt his ankle twist underneath him. He gasped in pain and collapsed to the ground.
"Shit!" he swore under his breath as he sat up, gripping his ankle. He gingerly tried to move it to the right and gasped as a sharp pain greeted him. Just lovely, he had twisted it. How was he supposed to get back to the house now?
"Damn it!" he snapped, as he forced himself to stand up, keeping all his weight on his uninjured ankle. It was just his luck, but then he guessed he should have been paying attention to where he was going.
Cautiously, he put a little weight on his injured ankle. It held, but it wasn't happy about it. Wonderful. He would have to limp the rest of the way home.
The house had never looked so wonderful, that is, until he stepped inside.
Crash!
"YOU'RE NOT A BROTHER OR ANYTHING ELSE TO ME!"
Who was Yuki hollering at? Brennan wondered, wiping the sweat from his walk off his face.
"Ah, Brei-san! Where have you been?" It was Shigure. He seemed to be trying to ignore the loud crashing noises behind him.
Brennan lowered himself to the floor and reluctantly pulled off his boots. They were the only support he had for his twisted ankle. He winced as he tugged the boot off of his injured ankle. It had swelled up.
"What did you do to your ankle?" Shigure asked, flinching as he saw Brennan move to stand up.
Brennan leaned back against the doorframe. "I twisted it on the way back here. What did Tohru make for lunch?"
Shigure motioned for him to stop. "You stay. You need something to wrap that ankle up with. I'll be right back." With that the writer left the room.
Brennan slid back down to the floor, sighing. Why did he have a feeling that something funny had happened that Shigure was keeping from him?
"Oh! Brennan-san you're back!" Tohru exclaimed upon entering the foyer.
"Hi Tohru," Brennan said, smiling at her.
Tohru suddenly looked puzzled. "Why are you sitting out here by yourself?" she asked, squatting next to him precariously. Her eyes hit his swollen ankle. "Oh! You're hurt."
Brennan met her eyes. "It's ok," he said softly.
"Oh! Brei-san you're here!" Aaya bounced into the foyer and into Tohru.
It happened in a flash. Tohru tipped over and hit Brennan in the chest, her arms wrapping around him reflexively.
Poof!
A timber wolf sat where Brennan had moments before. Brennan felt his consciousness slip back as the instincts of the wolf took over. He hated it when women transformed him. He lost control of his animal form and therefore whoever transformed him was in danger.
As the wolf, he felt his lips curling back as he snarled at Tohru. Get away! he screamed silently. Tohru just sat there trembling. Damn it, he hated this. Run! he shouted futilely at her as he felt himself about to snap.
Lucky for Tohru, Shigure showed up in time to save her. Due to his form, Shigure was able to communicate to the wolf in Brennan. Holding his hand out, he slowly moved towards Brennan, mentally calling out to the wolf. At first the wolf wasn't sure, he let out a warning snap at Shigure, but the dog's persistence paid off. Never taking his eyes off of Brennan, Shigure brought his hand to rest on the wolf's head and gently scratched its ears.
Poof!
A naked Brennan was now sitting on the floor being pet by Shigure. Brennan glared at the writer for a second. Tohru squealed and turned away, but not before her eyes fell on a strange scar on Brennan's side. Brennan noticed and turned his back on them. "Sorry," he muttered, pulling on his clothes as fast as possible with a twisted ankle.
"What's going on!" a loud voice demanded. Kyo's head popped up in the doorframe. Yuki hovered behind him looking worried.
Shigure glanced at the two. "Nothing," he said softly. He sounded oddly preoccupied.
"I'm so sorry!" Tohru whined, her back still turned towards Brennan.
"It's not your fault," Brennan muttered, taking the bandage from Shigure's hand and proceeding to wrap his injured ankle.
"No it's actually mine," a flamboyant voice replied. "I bumped into Tohru. Sorry Brei-san."
"It's ok, Aaya," Brennan said, slowly standing.
Seeing that his brother was in the room, Yuki shook his head and left, Kyo close behind him.
Shigure gestured at Aaya. "As you can see Aaya is visiting us. He came to see Tohru."
"I sure did!" Aaya said, grinning. "She is truly a magnificent young lady."
Tohru blushed deep red. "Oh, I don't know," she muttered.
Brennan limped over to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "You truly are," he said softly, leaving the room for the kitchen.
In the kitchen, he limped over to the refrigerator and pulled it open, popping his head inside to find something to eat. He spotted the take out box immediately and pulled it out. As he turned towards the microwave to heat up his dinner, Shigure entered the kitchen.
"Aaya took Tohru out to eat, so I'm afraid we had to rely on take out," Shigure explained, leaning on the doorframe.
Brennan nodded. "I take it Yuki isn't too happy to see his brother here?"
"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. . ." Shigure began.
Crash!
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HONDA-SAN!"
Brennan raised an eyebrow, smirking.
Shigure shrugged. "Sibling rivalry?"
Brennan snorted. The microwave beeped and he retrieved his meal from it, limping towards the dining room. Aaya was sitting at the table inside, looking slightly battered. Yuki, Kyo and Tohru were no where to be found.
Brennan sat down across from Aaya. Shigure excused himself, explaining that he had some writing to do.
Brennan sighed. "I know you've probably been yelled at all day, but you really need to be careful, Aaya. I could have killed Tohru."
Aaya lowered his head. "I know, Brei-san. I'm truly sorry."
"Just be careful from now on." Brennan studied Aaya. "So, how are you and Yuki?" he asked, munching on his meal.
"Not too well, I'm afraid," Aaya replied somberly. "Yuki just can't seem to accept me."
Brennan nodded. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, just yet." He met Aaya's eyes. "These things take time. Yuki needs to get to know you better first."
Aaya smiled. "You're right. I just have to keep trying." He studied Brennan for a moment. "So, tell me, how have you been doing?"
Brennan kept his eyes trained on his food as he replied, "Ok."
"According to Ha'ri you're not," Aaya said. "Something about three flashbacks in one day?"
Brennan groaned. He had been counting on Aaya to not bring this up. "I'm fine. Hatori gave me something to help me deal with it."
Aaya mimicked a hurt expression. "I'm terribly hurt by the fact that you feel like you have to hide this from me," he said in his most flamboyant, dramatic voice. "You know you can come to me about anything."
Brennan lowered his head and gave a quiet smile then proceeded to fling his chopsticks at Aaya. One of them bounced off the snake's head and both he and Brennan burst out laughing. It had really been a long time since he had laughed like this. Trust Aaya to be the one to instigate it.
"I actually want to ask you about one of the flashbacks," Brennan said, after they had caught their breath enough to talk.
Aaya nodded, trying to look serious and failing as usual.
"I was on my bike, heading towards the main house the other day, when I had a vision of Hatsuharu riding with me," Brennan explained, leaning his head against his hand. "Did that happen before I lost my memory?"
Aaya looked pensive for all of two seconds and then grinned. "You used to do that all the time. Haru-kun was like a little brother to you."
Brennan closed his eyes and tried to remember. He realized that he was treading on dangerous ground, but he didn't care at the moment. How hard it must have been on Haru, losing his adopted big brother. Brennan hadn't really spent a whole lot of time with Haru since he had lost his memory. Brennan now regretted not going to orientation the other day. He pushed himself to try to remember spending time with Haru and then there it was: the familiar tightening of his chest and the headache to follow.
"Want to ride today, Haru?"
"Can I?"
"Sure."
The sound of an engine revving up and the whoop of a little boy excited about his first ride on a motorcycle followed.
His headache wouldn't allow anymore. He gripped his head, gritting his teeth as wave after wave of pain crashed into his head. A hand on his shoulder brought him back. His eyes popped open to meet Aaya's worried ones.
"I'm ok," Brennan said softly, pulling away from Aaya.
Aaya backed away a little. "It looks like Ha'ri's plan is working," he said, grinning. "Trust Ha'ri to come up with a way to help you out."
Brennan nodded, smiling to himself. If anyone else had been there with him, he would have gotten a lecture or a suffocating number of questions inquiring as to whether he was ok. He guessed that Aaya was right. He could go to the snake for anything.
"Well, tell me what was it about?" Aaya asked, clasping his hands in front of him.
Brennan brought his hand to his head which was still aching slightly. "Haru. . ." He paused as he tried to remember. "He was really young and he wanted a ride on my bike."
Aaya lifted an eyebrow. "And did you let him?"
Brennan nodded. He made a mental note to visit Haru sometime in the future.
"So, how has Ha'ri been?" Aaya asked, his eyes shining as they always did when he talked about Hatori.
Brennan frowned. "Not too good."
"He must miss having my magnificent presence around. I must go see him," Aaya said, gesturing to himself as if he were king of some great kingdom.
Brennan lowered his head. "He's working himself to death," he muttered, remembering the deep lines under Hatori's eyes from his last visit.
Aaya grew serious. "I'll talk to Gure-san. Maybe he can think of a way of getting Ha'ri away from work for a while."
Brennan nodded. "Good idea."
"Are you going to visit Ha'ri today? If so, I may go with you."
Brennan shook his head. "No, Hatori said he was going to be really busy today. Besides, you need to spend time with your brother, right? That's why you're here isn't it?"
Aaya's eyes widened in shock. He stood up. "You're absolutely right." With that he turned and flounced out of the room calling, "Oh Yuki!"
Brennan shook his head and followed, throwing away his empty food container. While he was in the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of coffee, taking it upstairs to his room.
A quiet folk tune wove its way through out Brennan's room as he strummed on an old acoustic guitar, his thumb thrumming across the strings at a slow, rhythmic pace. He was seated on his bedroom floor with his eyes closed, letting the music wash away his headache. Occasionally he would take a sip from the coffee mug sitting at his feet.
Brennan had been at this for a while, when there was knock at his door. He slipped his hand to the strings, silencing them. "Come in," he called out, turning his head towards the door.
It slowly slid open to reveal Yuki. He entered the room quietly, a serious look on his face.
"What is it?" Brennan asked softly, setting the guitar down on the floor and gesturing for Yuki to sit. He had a guess at what this was about.
"Can I ask you something?" Yuki asked, sitting across from Brennan.
Brennan nodded, studying Yuki. The rat seemed to be worried about something.
"It's about Nii-san. You're friends, right?" It was Yuki's turn to study him.
Brennan sighed, leaning back against his bed. "Yes, we're friends," he said simply.
Yuki looked pensive and almost hesitant to ask his next question. Brennan remained silent, letting his adopted cousin work out his feelings. "What. . .what was it about my brother that made you want to be friends?"
"Well, he really didn't give me a choice," Brennan said, smirking. "He has a knack for lightening up any situation no matter how dark it is," he went on to explain. "He sticks by his friends no matter what."
Yuki smiled slightly. "I. . .can see that. But doesn't he get on your nerves?"
Brennan sighed. "Not. . .really," he replied, pausing to choose his words carefully. "Ayame just takes some time getting used to."
Yuki considered that for a while. "You're probably right," he said softly, standing. "Thanks, Brennan."
Brennan got to his feet, keeping his weight off his injured ankle. "We better go down for dinner," he replied, limping to the door.
Yuki nodded and the two left for the dining room.
"So, how's your shop going Aaya?" Shigure asked, munching on some of the delicious rice that Tohru had made. She was still in the kitchen, bringing in the rest of the food.
"Business is booming as usual," Aaya replied, grinning.
"Tohru this is wonderful," Shigure greeted their young housekeeper with, as she entered the dining room with the rest of dinner.
Tohru blushed and moved to serve Brennan who gently snatched the dish out of her hand and began serving himself. He was still angry at himself for putting Tohru in danger and couldn't look her in the eye.
This was the first time that he had been transformed in front of her, at least since he had lost his memory. He could have killed her if Shigure hadn't shown up in time. She must have been terrified. He wondered if she was still a bit frightened of him. Had this happened before?
"Brennan-san?" A hand touched his and he looked up to see Tohru studying him, a worried expression on her face. "Are you ok?"
Brennan snatched his hand away, which made Tohru jump a little. Great! He did scare her. "I'm fine," he said, looking down at his food. He could feel Tohru's worried eyes on him, but he tried to ignore her. He knew she was probably figuring that she had done something wrong, but he didn't want to deal with that right now.
"Honda-san, this is delicious," Yuki said, getting her mind off of him.
Brennan gave the rat a quiet smile of gratitude and continued eating in silence. The others prattled on around him. Yuki half the time looked like he was going to explode if he had to spend a second longer with his brother. The boy really needed to learn to not be so serious. Kyo was taking Aaya's presence even worse. He spent the whole meal yelling at the snake to just shut up. Shigure looked like he was enjoying the whole thing. Tohru just smiled her way through much of the conversation, but Brennan noticed that occasionally her eyes would drift to him and there was a worried, sad look in them then.
Brennan finished eating before any of the others. Standing, he excused himself, stopping in the kitchen to drop his dishes in the sink. He was on his way to the door, when Tohru entered.
"Um, Brennan-san?" She lowered her head. "I'm so sorry. Please tell me what I've done to upset you."
Brennan shook his head. "You've done nothing."
She studied him. "You just seemed upset back there." She wasn't convinced.
Brennan turned his back on her. "I scare you, don't I?" he asked, his tone kept carefully neutral.
He heard a swift intake of breath and then a quivering voice replied. "I'm so sorry. I know that you would never harm me. I shouldn't feel that way. Please forgive me."
Brennan could hear tears in her voice. As he turned around, he saw them streaming down her face. With out thinking, he took a huge step towards her, right onto his injured ankle. Searing pain shot up his leg. He collapsed to the floor, swearing under his breath. Tohru rushed over to him.
"Are you ok?" she asked, sounding panicky.
Brennan looked at her smiling. "I'm ok, just stupid." He ran his hand through his hair and then carefully stood up, using the counter for support.
Tohru looked horrified. "You're not stupid," she quickly went on to say. "I am. I shouldn't be scared of you. I should trust you. You can't help it that. . ."
"Enough!" Brennan snapped gently. She may have been the one to help them all the time, but he was damned if he was going to let her get away with diverting his problems onto her own shoulders like she always did for everyone. "You didn't give me this curse. It had to have been something I did. So, don't go blaming yourself."
Tohru lowered her head to stare at the ground. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Brennan sighed in irritation. But before he could say anything Tohru cut in.
"What I was trying to say. . ." she said, quickly, never taking her eyes off the floor, "was that I'm not scared of you, but really. . .when you transform and have no control. I just don't see that form as being you, really." She quickly looked up at him.
Brennan gave a quiet smile. "It's a part of me, though," he said, softly, allowing a trace of sorrow to touch his voice.
Tohru's head snapped up and her eyes met his. He looked away and with out a word, transformed into the timber wolf from before. Tohru stiffened at the sight, but stood her ground. She seemed slightly nervous.
Brennan, the wolf, slowly stepped towards the housekeeper, never taking his eyes off of her. His yellow eyes were different than before. They were calm and comforting. He cautiously took a step towards Tohru. She didn't move, but instead slowly held her hand out. The human side of him feeling odd about this, the wolf licked the girl's hand.
Tohru smiled and scratched his ears. Brennan changed back, this time fully clothed. He carefully got to his feet and limped back over to the counter to lean against it.
"You've had to have seen me in this form before," Brennan said, studying her carefully. He wasn't sure if Tohru truly understood yet.
The young housekeeper shook her head. "Actually, I've never seen it." She looked down.
Brennan felt his eyes widen in shock. How could she not have? What had he been like before he met her? Had he been cold and horrible to her?
"Brennan-san?" Tohru called out tentatively. "I'm sorry." She hesitated, but went on quickly as she saw his irritated look. "I knew about your form. Hatori-san warned me about it when we first met. You weren't around, so you never knew. I don't think Hatori-san wanted to upset you."
Brennan didn't say anything. He was studying her in a different light now. She didn't act like he had treated her meanly or anything, but she wouldn't even if he had. She seemed to love unconditionally and would never treat anyone badly no matter how horribly they had treated her.
"Umm," Tohru began nervously. "I did my best not to bump into you or hug you because I didn't want you to worry about me and because it must be so frightening to not have control of yourself." She lowered her head and when she spoke again her voice quivered. "And now when you barely have any memory of who you are, I transform you and you're only worried about me. I'm so sorry."
Brennan limped over to her, ignoring the new pangs of guilt and worry that were consuming him. He slipped his hand under her chin and lifted her head so that she had to meet his eyes. He smiled at her gently. "Your clumsiness is one of your endearing traits. Don't apologize for it." With that, he limped away, glancing over his shoulder at her briefly. She was staring off in the distance as if thinking. He marveled again at how kind she was.
Though head trauma is generally the cause of amnesia it can often be the cure of it--the only cure.
Brennan sighed, leaning back in the chair and brushing his hand across his face. He had been at this for hours. The book was simply not helping, but what did he expect, a miracle cure? So, the only reliable cure for amnesia was for him to bust his head against something. He felt like he could surely do that in frustration right now.
The book had also told him that the dreams of an amnesiac generally hold hints to the patient's past. But how could they be a hint when he couldn't remember them? He could barely remember the dream from the other night. Every time he came close to remembering a detail from it, his head would ache warningly. Something odd was going on. The book had mentioned that headaches were common, but only for major flashbacks. He was getting them for every flashback he had. What could it mean? What were Shigure and Hatori keeping from him?
Brennan looked at the clock.
8:15
He should go take a shower before work. Sighing, he stood up, slamming the book shut. Brennan walked over to his closet and pulled out his uniform for work, slipping it over his shoulder. From there, he crossed the room to his chest of drawers and pulled off the dog tags he always wore. The moment he let them go, an odd feeling swept over him. It was impossible to describe, but it made him feel edgy. Now he had graduated from head aches to weird feelings. That's all he needed.
Giving the dog tags one final look, Brennan left his room for the bathroom. Shigure had renovated this room for him so that it resembled a western bathroom. The writer had revealed one interesting thing about Brennan's past: he was half American. Brennan was grateful for the renovation. He did find it more comfortable than the bathroom downstairs.
Hanging his uniform on the towel rack, he started the shower, undressing as the water heated up. He stepped into the shower, sighing as the hot water hit his back. As he washed himself, he ran over everything he had been thinking of prior to the shower. If Hatori and Shigure were keeping something from him, what could it be and why would they do that? Did it have something to do with his curse?
Brennan sighed, closing his eyes. The curse. What was he supposed to do about it? How was he supposed to get rid of the curse if he couldn't even remember why he was cursed in the first place?
"Can't remember!" A dark, angry voice filled his head.
Brennan gasped. The odd feeling from earlier was filling him again. He grabbed his chest as it tightened painfully and then his head exploded in agony. Groaning, he collapsed to his knees. The hot water continued to rain down on him, but it could no longer soothe him like it had before.
"You can't remember, Ravencloud!" A shadowy figure stood over him.
Brennan's reply was a cry of agony. He was shocked that he could even make a sound, since he could barely draw air through his constricted lungs. He felt his body slip to the floor of the shower.
"The sins of the mother are carried down to the child." Dark hair, eagle feathers, angry eyes.
His eyes were rolling up in the back of his head. He couldn't hold onto consciousness much longer.
"Brennan!"
Was it Shigure? He found he didn't care much. All he cared about was the wonderful darkness that was seeping over him.
He slowly became aware of the sound of voices buzzing around him. He couldn't make out what they were saying or even their tone. It was like he was trapped underneath the ice of a frozen lake. He then became aware of a hand gripping his and the drip of something wet hitting his hand.
He struggled to open his eyes, but to no avail. Something was holding him back from fully waking. What was it? What had happened? Something touched his face. It covered his nose and mouth. And then, as if someone had broken the frozen surface of the lake and pulled him out of it, he could hear the voices.
"This should help him. I should think that he will be skipping work tonight." That sounded like Hatori. Skipping work? He couldn't do that.
"I thought he was dying," a relieved voice replied nearby. It was Shigure. His voice sounded unusually shaky.
Whoever was gripping his hand let out a sob and a new shower of moisture rained down on his hand. He would have to stop this right now. Slowly, he opened his eyes. It looked like the whole house was gathered around him. To his left was Hatori, sitting in a chair, his face dark and unreadable. Behind him, stood Aaya who was studying both Hatori and Brennan with a concerned look. Shigure was standing at the foot of the bed, gripping the footboard and looking worried. Yuki and Kyo were hovering in the back of the room, their eyes shifting between Brennan and Tohru who was sitting to Brennan's right, holding his hand and trying hard to hold in her tears.
He opened his mouth to speak, but found that it was covered by an oxygen mask. What had happened? He remembered taking a shower and something odd happening, but he couldn't quite place what it was. But that wasn't his immediate concern. He needed to get Tohru to stop crying.
Smiling slightly, he squeezed the shaky hand in his own. A gasp greeted this gesture and then all eyes in the room fell on him.
"Brennan-san! You're all right!" Tohru exclaimed. Her eyes were wide and the tears that had yet to be spent glistened before trickling down her cheeks.
"Brei-san!" Aaya clasped his hands in front of him, his eyes wide with relief. "You really are all right?"
Brennan nodded weakly. He briefly wondered how long he had been out. His body felt like jello. He must have been in severe pain before passing out. He wished he could remember what had happened.
A hand touched his shoulder, Brennan turned his head and met Hatori's blue eyes. The dragon was smiling at him with one of his rare smiles. Brennan grinned back.
"I'm ok," he said, his voice sounding odd behind the mask. He was tempted to remove it, but doubted that Hatori would allow it. He also wasn't sure if that was a good idea. Breathing was coming easier for him more and more, but he wasn't sure that now was the right time to rid himself of the mask. He still felt a little light-headed and his chest was still a bit tight.
These were all symptoms of a memory flash, but there was something different about this one, something much more powerful and dangerous than the last one. An image flashed before his eyes and he gasped. Dark, angry eyes glared at him. Ravencloud! The dog tags! The sins of the mother. . .
"Brei-san, what is it?" Shigure asked, studying him as if he were afraid that Brennan was going to have a fit again.
Brennan shook his head. With some difficulty, he lifted his hand and slid the oxygen mask off of his face. He found he could breathe better now. "It's nothing," he elaborated, meeting Hatori's eyes.
Hatori nodded, turning the oxygen off and accepting the mask from Brennan.
"Brei-san, what happened?" Aaya asked in his usually too loud voice.
Brennan flinched at the volume. "What time is it?" he asked, turning his head away from the snake and wishing that everyone would just leave him alone. He wanted some time to ponder over what had happened.
"It's nearly 10:00," Yuki replied, coming over to stand by Tohru. Kyo followed. It was odd at how quiet he was being.
"10:00!" Brennan exclaimed, struggling to a sitting position. "I need to get ready for work."
"You'll do no such thing," Hatori said calmly, his tone suggesting that he was prepared for the battle of wills that was about to take place.
"I'm fine!" Brennan snapped back, reaching to throw the covers off.
"Um, Brei-san, I wouldn't do that, because. . ." Shigure began.
At the feel of the cold air hitting his bare skin and the sudden shriek from Tohru, Brennan realized what the writer had been about to say.
". . .you're naked," Shigure finished unnecessarily.
Brennan hurriedly pulled the covers back over him, glaring at the laughing writer. "Why don't you all leave and let me get dressed!" Brennan said through gritted teeth, squeezing Tohru's hand to let her know he appreciated her kindness.
Kyo and Yuki turned to go. Tohru was just starting to stand up when Hatori spoke. "You have been through some sort of ordeal. You need your rest," the doctor said, staring into Brennan's grey eyes.
Brennan met his gaze steadily. "I told you, I'm fine." Again, silent communication passed between the doctor and Brennan.
Hatori studied him a moment longer and then nodded. "Give us a moment," he said to everyone in the room.
Tohru squeezed Brennan's hand once and then she, Yuki, and Kyo left the room.
"Bet you, Haa-san wins this one," Shigure shot at Aaya before they left.
Aaya studied Brennan and Hatori for a moment, his face unusually somber. "I bet Brei-san wins this one," he shot back, shutting the door behind him.
"What is it?" Hatori asked, sliding the chair back from the bed a bit.
Brennan turned away, his back to the doctor. "You're keeping something from me, aren't you?" he asked, his voice tight.
The chair grinded across the floor again and the sound of soft footsteps told Brennan that Hatori had stood up. "What happened?" the doctor replied calmly, a note of tenseness coloring the question.
Flash
The sins of the mother. . .
Brennan shook his head to clear it. "Who is Anne Ravencloud?" he asked, slowly getting to his feet. He wobbled a bit, but was able to stand fully.
Hatori walked over to the chest of drawers by the bedroom door. He picked up the dog tags and studied them. Brennan made his way over to where Shigure had laid down his uniform, making sure to hide his limp. The shower had helped ease the pain in his ankle some. He slipped on the light blue shirt and tucked it into the navy blue pants, fastening the belt around his waist.
Brennan walked over to where Hatori stood examining the dog tags. The doctor handed them to Brennan. "You never told me who she was;" he said softly, "only that she was someone close to you."
Brennan threw the dog tags over his head. They slapped lightly against his chest. "I. . .think she was my mother." He gripped Hatori's shoulder. "I'm sorry that you have to carry the burden of my past: whatever happened then. I'm sorry that you feel you must keep it from me." Brennan met the doctor's eyes. "But know this: whatever has happened in my past will never change the fact that you are my friend. I will stand by you no matter what."
A wistful sort of smile crossed Hatori's face. "You think that gets you out of bed rest?" the doctor asked sternly, the smile disappearing, leaving traces of a smirk in its place.
Brennan grinned. "I'll be sure to get plenty of it after work."
"You had better," Hatori replied, holding out a packet. "Here's some more of that tea. Be sure to drink it before bed."
Brennan accepted the packet, setting it on top of his chest of drawers. "I promise," he said, walking to the door and opening it.
As soon as Brennan stepped into the hall way, he heard the rustle of money changing hands. Shigure walked over to him. "Brei-san. . ." he whined. "You just lost me quite a bit of money!"
Brennan smirked. "You shouldn't be betting in the first place."
Aaya flounced over, embracing Brennan in an enormous hug. "Thank you Brei-san. I knew you'd win. After all, Ha'ri can't argue with someone about something he does himself."
Hatori glared at the snake. Brennan met the doctor's eyes smiling. "Right. . .Let go of me."
Aaya released him and the four of them climbed down the stairs.
"I'll drive you to work," Hatori said, while they were pulling their shoes on. "You shouldn't be riding that motorcycle after what you went through."
Brennan met his eyes and debated. That would mean that Hatori would have to come pick him up at three in the morning when he should be sleeping. At the same time, Hatori was letting him go to work. Still. . . "You don't have to do that. I can walk it. After all, Tohru does every time she works."
Aaya's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, you work at the Sohma building don't you? Security guard, isn't it?"
Brennan nodded. "Let me walk it," he said to Hatori. "You need to sleep as well."
Hatori stood. "Very well," he said, heading towards the door. "Just be careful."
Brennan followed him out the door. "I will," he said, turning back towards the door. "Good night," he called back to Shigure and Aaya before he left.
Sins of the mother. . .what could it mean? He pondered over that as he made his way slowly to work.
Author's Note: I'm not sure when the next chapter will be ready to be put up. I've started it, but I have sort of been in a writing slump lately. I'll do my best to get working on it. Thanks for reading.
