Title: Needed
Summary: Tohru makes a wish to be able to hug the Sohma member who needs it the most. But what happens when the Sohma who needs it most isn't the one who Tohru expected?
Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, no money is being made with this fiction. Only waste of time which could be spent reading Harry Potter fanfiction.
A/N: Unfortunately I have to give you some bad news today, my lovely readers. This fic—together with all the other fics I've got patched up—is going to be put on hold for about a month. I'm going to be away to my home lands—Romania—for about a month, so until them bows GOMEN! GOMEN! GOMEN! I really like writing this fic, so I can barely wait until I return, to continue it. I'm taking my notebook with me, to keep on trying new chapters, or else my muse will leave or something! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. It so turns out, that maybe this story won't be long as in many chapters (no less than ten, I think) but the chapters themselves will be long. So yeah. Enjoy?
iv. memories
I
am covered in skin
No one gets to come in
Pull me out from
inside
I am folded, and unfolded, and unfolding
I am
colorblind
Colorblind, Countin Crows
There was a knock on the door, Hatori vaguely realised. He was too tired to want to answer it, but he stood up and opened the door. Shigure, Yuki and Kyou were standing there, serious. Hatori sighed, and with one last look at Tohru's sleeping form, he got out of the room.
"What was that?" Shigure asked, his voice quiet and business-like. A rare occasion, Hatori thought.
"I have no idea. I'm as much in the dark as you are." And it was true. He still couldn't think why the curse didn't work anymore. He remembered the time when he had brought her back from school, she had fallen against him. But he put that moment in the back of his head, not wanting to believe that Tohru could hug him.
"Is she going to be alright?" Yuki asked.
"The bronchitis is going to take about another week to cure. But she'll live." She has to live.
"Can we see her?" Kyou inquired.
Hatori shook his head. "No."
"Why not?" both young boys protested.
"One ill person is enough in this house. The disease would be almost deadly to Yuki, and I'm not going to grant benefits to any of you."
"Except to yourself…" Kyou muttered.
"Enough!" It was Shigure who interrupted. Hatori was grateful. "Let's go downstairs. Ha-san is tired as it is. He needs to be in shape to take care of Tohru-chan."
Kyou and Yuki turned away to leave for the kitchen. Shigure stayed behind, looking attentively at Hatori. "I don't know why she can hug you without consequences. I don't care. But if I were you, I'd take advantage of the situation." Old Shigure was obviously back.
"Baka." And old Hatori was back as well.
"What? I'm just saying…Don't act as if you're not tempted, Ha-san," he grinned slyly.
"If you're not going to say anything more useful, I'll go back." Hatori turned around and opened the door to Tohru's room. He stepped inside, but Shigure still had one more thing to say.
"Hatori," he started, seriously. "We all care about Tohru a lot. Take care of her." Hatori was about to nod, but Shigure wasn't finished. "And please tell me how she's like," he winked.
Hatori slammed the door in his face. "Baka."
0000000000000
"Ha-san?"
"Hmmm?"
"Ano…are you busy?"
He looked up from his papers, to find her sitting on her bed, a book opened on her lap. He shook his head. He wasn't busy.
"Can I ask you something?"
He nodded silently.
"Ano…what's love like?"
His eyes widened. "Love?" He remembered love. He remembered love's taste, smell and touch. He also remembered love's eyes when he erased love's memories. He hated love. "I forgot."
"Oh. Ha-san?"
"What?" It came out harsher than he would've wanted it.
"Sumimasen. Ano…do you think everybody is destined to fall in love?"
"It's not destiny, Honda-san." He placed his pen down, and dragged a hand through his hair. Love wouldn't come again. Not to him. Not likely. He sighed. "Maybe…" he answered her.
"Twice?"
"What?"
"I asked if love could come to us…twice." She was blushing. Why is she blushing?
"I…" He didn't know what to answer.
"Ha-san, do you think…Ha-san, do you believe in love?"
"No."
"Oh." Tohru looked hurt. Too hurt. "Why?"
Hatori lifted his hand and brushed away the hair in his face, pointing to his half-blind eye. "It left me with this."
"That just shows love's existence," she whispered.
"Why are we talking about this, Honda-san?" He hated feeling awkward. Especially if it was in her presence.
"You know Ha-san?" she asked, ignoring his question. "I think you deserve it."
"Deserve what?" Deserve the blind eye? Deserve the solace? Deserve being as cold as snow?
"Love."
He hadn't been expecting that. I'm blushing, aren't I? "I have to get back to work. I'm very busy." Even though I said I wasn't.
She didn't answer him.
0000000000000
A cough woke him up from his trail of thought.
"Ohayo," he greeted the girl.
"Mnmph," she answered, dragging the covers over her head. Hatori recognized this as sensibility to light. He stood up and pulled the curtains shut.
"You're safe now." Didn't come out like I wanted it.
"Ha-san?" Her voice was raspy. "Water?"
He filled a glass with the water he'd brought up earlier. Tohru drank it, slowly, and thankfully she didn't cough it up.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Not much."
"Were you here all this time?"
"Hai."
"I'm such a nuisance. Please forgive me, Hatori-san."
"Nothing to forgive. You're not a nuisance. I wouldn't stay if you were."
"Ah."
"You should rest some more, Honda-san."
"Tohru."
"Pardon?"
"Tohru, my name is Tohru, Ha-san. I don't call you Sohma-san, do I?"
"Get some sleep. Tohru-san."
"Hai." She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.
0000000000000
"Ha-san?"
"Hmmm?"
"How good are you at Geography?" She was sitting on her bed, covers gathered around her as a throne, two covers over her shoulders. Her legs were crossed in front of her, a notebook and a book in her lap. Hatori had just brought her her homework.
"Decent. Why?"
"What's the capital of Morocco?"
"Rabat." The pen in her hand started moving.
"And, um…Peru?"
"Lima."
"Oh, as in lime?"
"Somewhat."
"You're good with Geography, Ha-san."
"Hnn."
"Why did you become a doctor?"
Hatori smiled. This was another one of her plans to get him to talk. Usually, what he'd tell her wouldn't make much sense. "I didn't have much of a choice. From when I was young I was obliged to take care of Akito, and follow all his orders."
"Would you change your job if you could?"
"Ie."
"Why not?"
"Who'd take care of you then?"
"Ah…"
00000000000000
A/N: There you have it. Someone said last chapters could've had more moments, so I added FLASHBACKS! PH3AR THEM! I hope you liked this chapter. With some luck, I'll be able to get something done until I leave. If not, see you all in a month! I'll miss everybody!
Cella
