Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.
Thank you daydreamer90 and Luna-Starr for your reviews! I'll explain (eventually) how she can naturally understand languages she doesn't know. Until then, I'm working on developing the characters and plot a bit. Please let me know what you think!
Well, it was a few days later, and I had another fight with my mom – big whoop, right? Anyway, I decided to go clear my head with a walk in the snow. Luckily for me, those Sohmas love to stick their noses into their friends' business...
"Whew, what a witch," Haru whistled, getting off the phone.
"Who, Rayne?" Tohru asked in surprise.
"No, her mother," he told them, "I can see why she wants to spend so much with us."
"How come?" Yuki prodded, and Haru winced.
"She went off on me," he said, "She seems like a real nasty woman. Anyway, she said Rayne hasn't been home all day."
"I wonder where she is," Momiji wondered, looking out into the snowstorm.
"I don't know," Haru brooded, "She wasn't at school, and she's not at anywhere else she usually is."
"She said something about taking a hike yesterday," Shigure volunteered from his seat, "She seemed fairly agitated, and told me she needed to clear her mind."
"And you didn't tell us that before why?" Haru growled, then stopped as Yuki blinked. "What is it?"
"The other rats are telling the wolves found some prey a few miles away," he told them, and frowned, "But I'm not sure what else they're saying."
"I'm going out to look for her," Haru decided, and grabbed his jacket.
"I'll come too!" Tohru said, but he shook his head.
"Too dangerous. But…" he paused, then continued, "Hug Momiji for me. A rabbit can get around in this stuff quicker than I can."
"I can go too," Shigure offered. He received dirty looks from Kyo and Yuki, but Tohru nodded, smiling.
"That sounds like a good idea!" she agreed, and proceeded to hug the two Sohmas. Moments later, Haru left the house, and the dog and rabbit split up.
"I hope they'll be okay," Tohru said, once they had left.
"I'm sure they will," Yuki comforted her.
"Momiji?" Haru looked down, as the rabbit tugged at his pants.
"I think I found her! Shigure says it smells the same," Momiji said, "But he says he smells blood on her too. Hurry up, Haru!"
"Well, move your furry ass, Momiji!" Haru snapped, and followed the rabbit through the trees. Sure enough, Shigure the dog was crouching beside a figure in the snow.
"Here she is!" Momiji said unnecessarily. Haru knelt down beside her, and tried to wake her up with no results.
"Momiji, go get Hatori and tell him to meet us at the house," Shigure barked, and nudged Haru. "It appears her legs are badly injured, and caught under something. Move the snow."
Taking his advice, Haru began to brush the snow aside until the ground revealed that Rayne's legs were trapped underneath a tree limb.
"Help me move it!" Haru snapped, and the two quickly pushed it off them.
"How are we going to get her home?" Shigure wondered, "Even if you transform, cows aren't the best travelers in the snow."
"I'll have to try to carry her," Haru decided, "If I'm careful, I think I can avoid transforming."
"Well, it'll be a first," Shigure commented. To their surprise, Hatsuharu's plan worked.
"Now, let's hurry up," Haru told him, and the two ran off through the ever-increasing snowfall.
"Well, at least she's unconscious," Hatori commented dryly, as Shigure and Momiji dried themselves off. "Or else I'd have to wipe her mind."
"I couldn't leave her out there!" Haru defended himself, but Hatori ignored him.
"I didn't say you had to," he said absently, and continued his examination of her legs.
"What happened to her legs?" Tohru asked with worry.
"It appears as though she tripped over something, and then the limb landed on her legs," Hatori told them, "What I can't figure out are these strange puncture marks on her calves and thighs."
"Are they bite marks?" Momiji asked, trying to peer over his shoulder.
"I don't know," Hatori repeated himself, "Now, Tohru, can you help me bandage her legs? After that's done, I'll leave you some medication for her."
"Sure thing," Tohru nodded, and the rest of the Sohmas quickly left the room.
"They weren't claw or bite marks," Yuki thought, "They're too…erratic. Bite and claw marks have a pattern to them, in at least the punctures. But those are just…everywhere."
"Maybe they were rats," Kyo commented, and Yuki ignored him.
"Haru? Are you okay?" Momiji asked the teenager. He was silent, and merely continued to stare out the window.
"Someone will have to tell her family where she is," Hatori said, coming out of the room, "She's still asleep. When she wakes up, give her two of these every two hours." With that, he handed Shigure a bottle. "If any pain or infection occurs, call me immediately." Finished, Hatori turned to Momiji and Haru. "Come on, you two. We've got to get back before we're snowed in, god forbid."
"I'm going to stay," Haru said firmly. Hatori eyed him, but nodded.
"I'll tell them where you are. Come along, Momiji."
"Bye! Call me how she is!" Momiji called, as Hatori dragged him outside.
"I'll call her mother," Shigure said, "She might take it better coming from another adult."
"Who said you were an adult?" Kyo muttered, and slunk off into the kitchen.
"This is going to make our lives much more difficult," Yuki thought, "With another girl in the house, and one who doesn't even know our secret, we'll have to be extra-careful around her."
"No duh," Haru said, and followed Shigure toward the phone.
"Didn't go over too well, huh?" Tohru winced sympathetically, as Shigure came into the kitchen, rubbing his ear.
"That's an understatement," Haru said dryly.
"Before I told her we were the Sohmas, she threatened to call the police and have us arrested for assault and kidnapping," Shigure continued, "The funny thing is, she didn't sound frantic with worry like you would assume a mother would act like. She sounded more angry that Rayne wasn't home, period."
"I told you she was a bitch," Haru commented, earning himself a look from Shigure.
"I made you guys dinner," Tohru told them, carrying a tray, "I'm going to see if she's awake yet, and if she's hungry."
"I'll take it. I'm not hungry," Haru said shortly, and roughly took the try from her. Ignoring Kyo's snickering, he stomped from the room.
"Well, I'm starving," Shigure smiled happily, and plopped down onto the floor. "All that exercise certainly builds up an appetites, you know!"
"Rayne?" Haru stuck his head in, and was startled to see her eyes open. "You're awake, right?"
"Mm-hmm," she nodded, and tried to sit up.
"I'll help," he stopped her, and awkwardly propped her higher up. Placing the tray on her lap, he took a seat in a spare chair and proceeded to watch her silently as she ate. When she was done, she heaved a sigh.
"Someone…told my mom, didn't you?" she asked, and winced as he nodded.
"Had to. Hatori told us to," Haru told her.
"Who's Hatori?"
"The Sohma doctor," he said, "He's actually a Sohma as well. I'm sure you'll be conscious to meet him sometime soon."
"Hm," Rayne looked down at her lap, and her knuckles turned white.
"What happened, anyway?" Haru asked her, "I mean, the limb's easy enough to guess, but what happened to your legs?"
"I…I don't know," she said finally, "I remember tripping and falling. I heard something coming toward me, but I blacked out before I saw what."
"That's weird," Haru commented, but didn't say anything else. Rayne looked at him with an odd expression.
"I know I was out cold, but…I thought I saw a dog and rabbit that sounded like Shigure and Momiji," she told him, "And then I heard you coming, and heard something about a cow…"
"Boy, talk about hitting your head," Haru joked, but avoided her gaze. He handed her the bottle Hatori had given Shigure. "Here. Hatori said to take two of these."
"Oh," Rayne nodded, and swallowed them with the rest of her water. When she was done, she blinked. "Haru…did Hatori say anything about my legs?"
"Just that to keep in bed for a few more days, at the least," Haru told her. He smirked when he heard her curse under her breath. "Something the matter?"
"My mom…well, she isn't…" Rayne gave up, and flopped back onto the pillows. "Man, now I'm all sleepy again," she complained. Haru took the tray, and turned the light back off.
"It must be the pills. Tohru'll come in later to check up on you," he told her.
"Good morning!" Tohru sang, "I came in last night, but you were still asleep. Did you sleep well?"
"I guess," Rayne nodded, "Whatever Hatori gave me must really knock me out."
"Have you felt any pain at all?" Tohru asked, "Or are you hungry? Do you need anything?"
"No, I haven't," Rayne shook her head, "And I'm a little hungry, but not very. And I don't want anything except a book or company, if you've got either."
"Well, school starts in a little bit," Tohru told her, "It's the last day before New Year's break! But I brought you some breakfast," she added, placing the tray on the bed, "And I can bring some books if you want. And Shigure isn't doing anything."
"That's okay," Rayne smiled, and cut off Tohru, "If I really need anything, I'll ask, okay? I don't want you to be late. Oh, what's today's date?"
"December twenty-fourth," Tohru told her, and her face fell along with Rayne's. "Oh, no! Is something the matter? Do you need anything?"
"No, no, it's nothing," Rayne shook her head.
"Oh, I'm sure you wanted to celebrate Christmas with your mother!" Tohru realized, "Well, I can call her up, and they can come over if you want. And if you want, they can spend the night, or we can maybe help you get back home –"
"No!" Rayne yelled, unable to keep the panic out of her voice despite herself. "No, Tohru," she added, slightly more calmly. "Please don't. It's not that, okay? I'm fine, see? I'll eat, and there's some books in my bag there," she continued, and pointed to a bag next to the bed. "So, please, go get ready for school. I'm okay – besides, Shigure's here, remember?"
"All right," Tohru nodded, and suddenly hugged Rayne. "Call if you need anything!" she sang, and skipped out of the room.
"What was all that yelling about?" Kyo grumbled, as they ate their breakfast.
"I mentioned to Rayne that we could have her mother come over to celebrate Christmas with her," Tohru frowned, "It sounded like she grew concerned."
"Stupid cat," Yuki muttered in disgust, and Kyo snorted his food back into his bowel.
"Damn rat," he retorted, then sighed. "Sorry, Tohru. But 'grew concerned'? Give me a break! She freaked out!"
"Full-blown panic," Haru added quietly, looking toward the ceiling. "I wonder why she got so depressed?"
"Well, she didn't sleep well last night," Shigure told them, "I went to bed late, and I heard her mumbling and tossing. I'll give Hatori a ring, and see if he can make it over here to look her over."
"Well, we better be going!" Tohru told the young men, "I don't want to be late!"
"All right, all right," Kyo grumbled again, and followed her out. Yuki sighed, and walked out beside the stalking Hatsuharu.
"Rayne?" Shigure knocked softly, and slid the door open. "Are you awake?"
"Yes," she answered, looking away from the window, "I guess I just zoned out, sorry."
"No need to apologize," he shook his head, "I asked Hatori to come over and check you over. Is that all right?"
"I guess," Rayne shifted her legs, and the two men could tell by her awkward movements that there was no feeling in her legs.
"I'm Hatori Sohma," he introduced himself, sitting down on the bed, "I don't think you've met me while you're awake yet."
"No," Rayne shook her head, slightly embarrassed. "I hope this isn't too much trouble. I feel like an idiot – I don't even know what happened."
"Well, that's why I'm the doctor and not you," Hatori told her firmly, "Now, lie down on your back so I can check your legs."
"I can't feel them," she told them. Hatori and Shigure exchanged swift glances.
"Hm," Hatori murmured, examining her legs. Frowning, he spoke again after several minutes in silence. "I heard you had some had trouble sleeping, is that correct?"
"I heard you last night," Shigure told her, as she looked at Hatori in surprise. Sighing, Rayne nodded.
"Yes, I had some nightmares," she admitted, "I've had them since I was little. I've had to take medication to surpress them the last couple of years, but I ran out once we moved here."
"And they don't make them here?" Shigure asked, while Hatori kept a stony face.
"N-no," Rayne shook her, her face flushing.
"Then why?" Shigure prodded.
"No reason," she muttered, avoiding their gazes. Hatori cleared his throat, and stood up. After talking to Shigure quietly in a corner for a minute, Shigure winced.
"Oh, I see," he mumbled, and then put on his patented happy-face. "Well, I'm going to go see if Tohru left us anything for lunch! Are you going to stay, Hatori?"
"I may as well," Hatori relented, "I don't have anywhere else to be today, luckily enough."
"Hatori?" Rayne ventured, as the two men began to leave the room.
"Yes?"
"Am I able to go downstairs?" she asked, "I'm…well, I'm bored and lonely up here."
"I suppose so," he sighed, and handed her a robe that was laid on the bedpost. "Put this on to stay warm. I'll have to carry you downstairs." At this, Shigure's eyes widened, and he dragged Hatori outside.
As Rayne slipped into the long robe – not an easy thing to do, sitting down – she caught bits and pieces of what they were saying, until the end was clear.
"– her memory, Hatori!"
"If Hatsuharu could do it, I think I can manage," Hatori said with dignity, and strode back into the room. "Ready?"
"Yes, thank you," Rayne nodded, and then squeaked as Hatori swung her up. "I appreciate this," she continued, as they made their way down the stairs. She noticed that Hatori was careful to keep her body apart from his, and his arms just barely held her.
"Oh, no problem!" Shigure called from the kitchen.
"Speak for yourself," Hatori muttered, and put Rayne on the floor. "Are you all right?" he asked, as she moved her legs.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded, concentrating on her legs. She looked up when Shigure waltzed in with a tray filled with food.
"It appears Tohru anticipated our need for her nourishment!" he said dramatically, and promptly began to wolf it down.
"Or it could be that she's working tonight, and this is your dinner," Hatori said with a hint of amusement in his voice, and then began slowly eating.
Rayne covered her mouth to hid her giggles as Shigure made a ridiculous face at Hatori, and then continued to eat.
I had finally met Hatori. After meeting Kisa and Hiro a while back, there weren't many other Sohmas for me to find out about. But I liked the odd Sohma, even if he was a bit sarcastic. He seemed to genuinely care about his family, which is always nice.