My Cherryblossom.../Sherinda-san

Daddy's girl/Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway, own Fruits Basket. It is © Natsuki Takaya. I only own the original character Shiko and any other characters not in the manga/anime.

AN: Hey all! Summer is here, and I will hopefully be able to be rolling out the chapters. I went to see "The Longest Yard" the other night. It was freaking hilarious! But I did cry when Chris Rock's character got killed...I know...I'm pathetic...;-; Thanks to all of my reviewers! I don't thank you guys enough! You are the ones who keep me writing! Anyhoo, anything in italics is a flash back, which most of this chapter is. I love drama, don't you?

Hatori sighed as he drove down the gravel road. Old Kibaru Sohma was having troubles with his health again, but it was different going there now; Kibaru had adopted his cursed granddaughter, who was about 7 years old now. The ex-shaman had forged a necklace made of jade for the young girl that could supposedly stop the effects of the curse. He didn't believe it until he got there.

Kibaru was sitting up in his bed and the young girl, Shiko, was asleep against his chest, her small arms around as much of his torso as she could manage. Hatori stood in the doorway in mild shock; there should have been a young filly laying in the bed instead of a 7 year old girl. Kibaru noticed his expression and lifted the small hunk of jade carved into a horse around her neck, and smiled a toothless grin.

"See, Hatori-kun, I'm not as senile as some of you youngsters might think..."

The Sohma doctor smiled at the memory of the old Sohma, as he sped to the

Kaibara General Hospital. He had had Ayame get a private room for Shiko, so that just in case one of the doctors (all of which are Sohma, and know of the curse) accidentally hugged her in some way, or she transformed out of fatigue. Luckily she was holding strong so far and was still in her human form. He would have a hell of a time if she turned into a horse in the middle of moving her the her room.

"She must not suffer from that horrid curse...She has been through too much for me to stand it...I don't want her to remember any of her suffering. You must make her forget, Hatori-kun!" The Old Sohma was tugging at the tatsu's white lab coat.

Hatori gave in and placed his right hand over Shiko's closed eyes. She was still asleep, which made the process much easier for the two Sohma's. A cold sensation ran down the young doctors right arm, closely followed by a warm feeling going up, but was extinguished when it reached his elbow. Haroti removed his hand from the young girl's forehead. Her eyes flickered open.

"What's going on, Hatori-nii-san? Grampa?" She asked, sitting up. Kibaru cried out in happiness and threw his arms around her neck. Tears streamed down his old cheeks as he sobbed.

"Thank Budda! You are going to be okay, Shiko-chan!..." Hatori stared at his hand for a while, then looked up at the happy little girl dancing around the room with her frail old grandfather. They really did look happier now than they had before. Their laughter echoed in his head as he thought about what he should tell Akito...If he would tell him.

"Grampa, what are we dancing for?"

Hatori smiled inwardly at her happiness then...she had no clue how much pain and sorrow she had let go of then. He had grown fond of her the more he came to care for Kibaru. She always knew how to make him feel glad to be alive. Before she forgot about the curse, she always ran to him like he was her real father. He really did feel like her real dad this morning...that's what she had called him...

"Daddy..."

"Hatori-nii-san..." Shiko sniffed, her long bangs covering her eyes as tears poured out of her eyes. She scrubbed at them and began to hiccup. Kibaru had passed away the night before, while she was asleep. He couldn't bring himself to wake her, so he spent the night and told her that morning. She seemed strong at first, but as it sank in, she lost control.

He patted her head and she cried even harder and smothered her face in his shirt. It slowly started to feel wet from her tears. He crouched down on his knees and hugged her, trying to quiet her. He was sure Ayame and Shigure would laugh at him if they were here now, but he didn't care...

"She is to leave today."

"What do you mean, Akito?"

"That Shiko girl shall get on a plane and go to live in America until I say...Think of it as payment for what her fool of a grandfather did for her. I thought you would know that, Hatori." The Sohma doctor swallowed hard. She wasn't old enough to live on her own...he had to call an acquaintance there and have her live with them...

"I don't like this Hatori...are you sure you should be doing all of these things behind Akito's back?" Ayame asked him in an uncommonly worried tone.

"You don't know what she's been through, Ayame...Shiko has been through a lot with her parents...kind of like you did with Yuki..." A look of depression clouded Ayame's face. Hatori had hit were it hurt the snake the most. Now Ayame would definitely help him with her now. He sped up to the old farm house Shiko still lived in. It was once filled with horses and chickens, but all of the animals were sold off along with the house. The young girl was sitting on the wooden porch with her bags and her head buried in her arms.

She looked up as The two friends pulled up to the gravel driveway. Ayame took her bags and Hatori took her hand, his engulfing hers, and led her to the car. Shiko looked out the window for the last time at the only home she ever remembered as they drove away for the airport...

"Hatori-nii-san...I don't want to leave..."

"I know Shiko-chan."

"Shiko-chan..."

"Ayame-nii-san...I'm the one who should be crying; not you..." Shiko hugged Ayame's neck. Hatori glanced at his watch.

"Come on, Shiko-chan...you're going to miss you're plane if you keep suffocating Ayame." He flashed her a brief smile as she released the snake. More tears sprang to Shiko's eyes as she looked at what had been and older brother and father-figure to her for a long time. She half-jumped onto him and hugged him fiercely around the neck, tears spilling down her red cheeks the whole time.

Hatori squeezed his eyes shut as he embraced her warmly. He pulled her away and tilted her head so she was looking at his face. He brushed away a few stray bangs and tears and smiled at her. "Shh...no more tears, okay? When you land, Shuichi will be there to pick you up...remember that man in the picture I showed you? That's who you look for, okay?"

Shiko hiccuped some then answered: "O-okay..." She sniffed once more and walked toward the plane ready to take her away from her only family she knew. She turned once and waved good-bye.

"When you come back, we should all go out to eat or to a film, Shiko-chan!" Ayame shouted after her. But it was to late; she had already gotten on the plane. Ayame furrowed his eyebrows and frowned, looking after the plane. "There won't be a next time, will there..." He said without averting his gaze.

Hatori nodded. "No...I don't think there will..."

Shiko's eyes flickered open. Where am I? Was the first thing that came to her mind. She was in a large hospital bed. Under the covers she was naked. She blushed furiously at the thought of someone seeing her like this. She looked around for her clothes, but she couldn't find them. There was a soft groan nearby and she started as she looked into the darkness. Someone was in here with her, she was sure of that, but who?

The door to her room opened and through a flood of hallway light, she made out the figure of Hatori. He walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He walked to the corner of the room and turned on a lamp. Shiko could see he was tired; there were bags under his eyes and he hadn't shaved. He sat down in one of three chairs by her bed and sipped from a steaming cup of tea.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." He said smiling to her. He drank some more from his tea then swallowed it again. He noticed her blushing. "Don't worry. You transformed when you were asleep. You must have reached a really weak point in your subconscious. I'll have one of the nurse's get a clean yukata for you to were." He added to comfort her. Hatori glanced over at the chair next to him.

Shiko only noticed now in the light that someone was underneath several blankets and a certain coat. Hatori nudged them with his elbow. "Haru, get up. Shiko-chan's awake."

There were some grumbles from the buried ushii, and finally his snow-topped head poked out of the mound of covers. He blinked his grey eyes owlishly in Shiko's general direction then yawned loudly. "G'morning, Shiko-san..."

"It's more like evening." Hatori quipped, drinking more of his tea and looking at the axenic floor.

"Hello, Haru-kun, Hatori-san...what am I doing here?" Shiko asked innocently. There was a huge throbbing pain in the back of her head and she touched and rubbed it tenderly. "Nevermind...now I know...ouchies..." she mumbled curses to herself. She went to feel and straighten her hair and gasped, her eyes widening. "Get me a mirror...now." she demanded. Hatori opened a drawer and drew out a small mirror, handing it to Shiko.

Grasping it, Shiko looked into the looking-glass and cried out in shock. Chunks and large clumps of her hair were missing, not to mention a large black and blue bruise on the side of her face, made her look thoroughly beaten-up. Not usually being vain, she stroked the side of her face tenderly. "H-how could this happen...I spend my whole life growing out my hair, then this." she said softly, more to herself than her friends.

Hatori stood up and sat on the bed beside her, peering at her reflection, then to her actual face. "I still see the pretty little girl I did five years ago." He whispered in her ear. Shiko blushed even more buried her head in her pillow. Haru gazed at the two, smiling to himself. It had been genuinely quiet, until the door burst open and Ayame rushed in.

"Oh my! Shiko-chan! You must come with me! We will make you beautiful again!" he said grabbing her arm. Shiko grabbed up her sheets and bunched them against her breasts, covering them from peering eyes.

"Aya-ojichan! Wait! I need some clothes first! I can't run around all over Japan in my birthday-suit!" she shouted to save herself dying of embarrassment. A light kimono was flung in her face and Ayame put up a bamboo screen around her bed, urging Hatori to get up, as it was a fashion emergency. Shiko put the kimono on and stepped out from behind the screen.

Ayame looked her over in brief approval then urged everybody out of the room, carrying the half-folded screen under his arm. Hatsuharu managed to give Shiko his coat to throw over her head until they reached their destination. There were several shouts behind them as they walked down the hall. "Make a break for it!" Ayame yelled. Everyone, including Hatori, ran down the hall, laughing as nurses and doctors screamed at them to halt.