CHAPTER 6

THE MISSION

This is what needs to be done……

"Bwada!" Kaze cooed, reaching his arms out, opening and closing his little hands. He tried to pull himself free of Ayame's embrace, but Ayame only pulled him back to prevent him from falling. Still, Kaze reached out as tears began to line his eyes. He didn't comprehend that his brother was hazardous to his health, or, if he knew, he didn't care. "Bwada!".

Ayame laughed joyously, "The love of a younger brother for his older sibling is a beautiful thing! If only Yuki understood….!" he hugged little Kaze to him, kissing his little cheeks.

Korosu took his little brother away from the overly-energetic designer and held him up, glancing at the little face. "Your so….." he couldn't quite think of the word he wanted to use, so he didn't bother finishing. "….my little brother Kaze. Head of a family…" he turned and walked down the hall and set the baby down in his crib, then slouched over the side, poking the baby slightly, "I don't really understand it. Why you, and not me?"

Kaze grabbed at his finger, yanked it a bit then put it into his mouth, biting on it, slobbering on it, then pulling it out and staring at it oddly, "Tou! Want Tou!" His eyes danced around as he searched for the brunette, then watered as he realized he wouldn't find her. "Bwada?" he stretched his chubby little arms out, opening and closing his little hands.

Korosu continued to watch him curiously, almost as though he was some sort of lab rat, or another odd creature of sorts. The way he moved, and cried, and pleaded…on any other person, Korosu would have found it pathetic, but coming from his little brother…

He picked the baby up and held him close, "I'll be doing this for your own good, Kaze. You can't take care of this family properly. But don't worry. Once I'm head, I'll take care of you"

Kaze looked up at him expectantly.

Korosu continued, "Tohru-kun…they all love her. They listen to her, and once I'm wed with her, they'll have to listen to me" He grabbed a blanket off the side of the crib and moved over to the rocking chair next to the window. He sat in it, set his brother on his lap, then warmed him up with the blanket as he began to rock. "They need to listen, for their own good. I won't hurt Tohru though. I may be mean to her at times, but…." he sighed. "I suppose I'm just a bit jealous. I can tell she loves them all…and they love her even more. Everyone loves everyone execpt for…oh Kami!" He exclaimed suddenly, "I'm not jealous. Not in the least bit" he shook his head and continued to stare out the window. He was foolish for trying to convince himself that maybe there was a possibility of him really wanting to be loved. That wasn't what he wanted at all. What he wanted was power and wealth. The two primary things that came with being head of the Sohma family. He wanted to have people respect him….fear him…worship him. He wanted to be known as a firm leader when he died. What did he need with love? It just didn't fit into his plan at all.

But…who said weddings needed love?

Kaze gurgled and pulled on his older brothers shirt before pressing his mouth to it, trying to clean off his little spit bubbles.

"Damn it!" Korosu cursed, feeling the moist part of his shirt. He quickly stood up, allowing the baby to fall from his lap and onto the floor. When Kaze began to cry, he continued to walk out, not even caring as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Ayame-san! Take care of this damn kid!" he snapped as he stomped down the hall.

Ayame watched him curiously, wondering what brought on the sudden mood swing, then rushed in to take care of the crying child. He picked the baby up and sat down in the rocking chair, rocking gently to sooth him. "Uncle Ayame is going to tell you a story!" he stated. It had finally dawned on him what a major problem in the Sohma family was. "So hush hush and listen up!" he smiled, petting Kaze's head. "Once upon a time there was a fair princess and a very handsome prince…."

"Ayame, I want that dress done tonight, I'm moving the wedding up to tomorrow evening!" Korosu's very annoying voice rang from the hallway.

Ayame listened for a moment, before continuing his story. "The two wanted to be together more than anything, but couldn't because of an evil curse. But one day, the princess's beautiful fairy godfather came and….." He paused and a smile formed on his lips as he turned, looked at the window, then turned and peered out of the room. "Kaze, how would you like to be the fairy godfather's little helper…oh, I have the cutest outfit you could wear!"

Kaze's reply: A wad of spit bubbles and a clap of his hands against his cheeks.

In Ayame's mind: That was as good as a 'Hell yeah'

"Excellent!" Ayame exclaimed eagerly. But first….he needed a way to postpone the wedding. Setting Kaze down, he hurried to Korosu, an idea in mind.

Being a doctor, Hatori was used to seeing people un-clothed. However, when he found himself having to undress Tohru in order to get her into something cooler in hopes that it would help lower her temperature, he found seeing a person un-clothed as a rather difficult task. And even now, ten minutes later, he found himself unable to forget what he had seen. Tohru had always been adorable but now…. "Her temperature hasn't changed" Hatori told Shigure, looking up from his tea cup. "We'll have to keep a close eye on her"

"We, Ha-san?" Shigure asked in a teasing manner. "You've been watching over her enough for the both of us. Ah! Could you possibly be smitten with my little Tohru?" He took a sip of his tea and winked at his long-time friend. "Kyo and Yuki-chan won't be happy to hear about this!"

"It amazes me how you can sound so intelligent on paper and yet sound like such an idiot when you speak" Hatori replied with a small glare.

"Ha'ri, that really hurts" The novelist pouted.

Hatori stood up, "I'm going to go check up on Tohru". Without waiting for any comments, Hatori exited the room and headed upstairs to the room in which Tohru rested. With him, he took an ice pack and his black leather medic's bag.

It would have been a lie to say he wasn't worried. Tohru had been in and out of consciousness for quite some time. The medicine he had given her appeared to have no effect. 'You've been watching her enough for the both of us' Shigure's words echoed in his mind. Well, of course he had been watching over her. It was his job. As a doctor, he had an obligation to her.

Hatori stopped at her door, touching the door knob. He could hear movement going on inside the room: The squeaking of springs as they adjusted themselves after someone had climbed on or off a bed, the scuffling of slippers against the carpet, a soft whine, a crash.

Dropping his medical bag and the ice pack, Hatori forced open the door.

Tohru braced herself against the desk across from her bed. Her dark hair hung over her shoulders, creating a shadow that prevented Hatori from seeing her face. The robes that she wore, Shigure's robes, hung loosely on her tiny frame, making her look so much more insignificant. Slowly, she turned, looking at him with large tired eyes, flushed cheeks…and a smile. Even now, she smiled. "Hatori-san" she lifted herself a bit more, "I was just on my way down to see you all. I'm sorry about not making dinner. You all must be starving"

"You need to rest, Tohru-kun" Hatori moved towards her, reaching his hand out. Gently, he touched her cheek and looked into her eyes.

Tohru's eyes widened, "Ah! Hatori-san! Please don't worry about me like this! I'm okay now, Please!" Her cheeks turned an even darker shade of pink.

He kept his hand on her cheek a moment longer, "You're still very warm. You need to rest some more" he ordered, pulling his hand away. Part of him was angry that she didn't seem concerned with her condition, yet the other part admired how much she cared for others. She was so much like Kana.

'I just want Hatori-kun to be happy'

Hatori stared down at Tohru for a few minutes before finally heading back out the door to pick up his medic's bag. "Let me check if your temperatures improved."

The look he gave her sent a ripple of chills up her spine. She didn't dare object to his orders, and so, she reached out, touched the mattress and pulled herself over to it, sitting on it's edge. She stared down at her knees with a child-like look then looked back up at Hatori, "You really shouldn't have gone out of you way I'll be—"

Hatori stuck the thermometer out and she stopped mid-sentence to allow him to slide it under her tongue. She remained silent until Hatori removed it. " Your temperatures slowly decreasing. You'll be alright with a bit more rest. Now, back into bed" he nodded to the pillows.

Tohru nodded and obediently slid under the pink covers of her bed, pulling the sheets up to about her chin, "Arigatou…" she said slowly. And just as the doctor turned to exit the room, Tohru spoke again, "Hatori-san? What...happened to me?"

Hatori stopped just as he prepared to close the door, "You don't need to worry about that now, we'll discuss it later. Just rest" With that, he closed the door and headed back downstairs. Surprisingly, as he descended, he noticed the cat and the rat waiting for him side by side at the foot of the stairs. What was more surprising was that both look annoyed, but for once, it wasn't at each other. They looked annoyed with….him?

"Well?" Both asked in unison. Kyou's eyes narrowed with impatience while Yuki's features revealed how nervous he felt.

Hatori waited a moment then replied, "She'll be alright"

The two sighed in relief, then, things returned to normal. Kyou turned, pointing an accusing finger at Yuki, "This is all your fault!".

It was a low blow to Yuki's mood, since he knew that the annoying cat was right. It had been his fault. Korosu had done something to the strawberries after all. Somehow, he had known that Tohru and Yuki were going to be out there with the strawberries. And somehow, he had managed to discover what Tohru was allergic to, and how much dosage of it to use. But how? How could Korosu have known this? For a moment, his mind drifted over to Shigure. The dog had always been loyal to Akito. Was he as loyal to this new head of the family? Shigure had been the only other person that knew he planned on taking Tohru to his secret base…the only one aside from Kyou anyway. But Kyou would never do such a thing. That much he knew. "Shut up, damn cat. No one asked for an opinion. Hatori-san, can I see her?"

Hatori nodded to him, then headed down the rest of the stairs. Yuki passed him on the way up. Kyou meanwhile, walked after Hatori.

"Hey, you. We need to talk. Now" He gave Hatori a firm look and after a minute or two of staring, Hatori turned on his heels and followed him out.

Inside the kitchen, Shigure smirked.

"I'm glad to see your doing better Honda-san" Yuki spoke gently, giving her somewhat of a smile. He still felt responsible and that guilt was heavy on his mind. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. I should have known to—" he paused as she smiled. It almost melted his heart. "Honda-san?"

"Yuki.." she replied, "You didn't know. Please don't feel responsible" She sat up a bit, "It was my own mistake" She gave him a faint smile, trying to assure him of what she had just said.

"Honda-san…" Yuki sighed deeply, contemplating on whether or not to ask the question he had in mind. How could Tohru be so selfless? From day one, Korosu had been out to harm her both mentally and physically. And yet, here she was. "Why do you insist on staying here with us? It's dangerous" He took notice of the look on her face, "I'm not trying to kick you out, I'm simply curious"

Tohru ran her hands over the blanket, smoothing out some of it's wrinkles, "It may sound silly but…I thought...well...ever since the day you and Kyou picked me up from grandpa's, that we were like family" she admitted sheepishly.

Yuki moved and sat on the edge of the bed. Boldly, he reached out and brushed some of Tohru's bangs out of her eyes, then studied her expression with a gentle smile. They had become like a family…even though he sometimes wanted more. He watched her cheeks turn red, though he wasn't sure if it was a blush or if it was a rise in temperature. "I'm sorry if I've disturbed you from resting"

"Oh no, it's okay! Really" That had been the answer Yuki had expected and it was the answer he received. "I don't mind the company. But, you probably have a lot to do"

"Everything else can wait" Yuki admitted, "I'll stay, as long as it helps you recover" he glanced to the pillows to make sure they were fluffy enough for her to rest on. "We can sit here quietly together. But first, why didn't you tell any of us about what your allergic to?"

"I didn't want you all to worry about me. But, I did tell someone, just in case"

"Who"

"Oh. I told Shigure-san" Tohru replied.

Yuki cocked his head to the side in thought, "Hm. Alright" he quickly smiled to hide the fact that anything was wrong. But the thoughts continued deep within his mind. Shigure…is Shigure trying to hurt Tohru?

"Sohma-kun? How did you know I was allergic to anything?" Tohru asked as she leaned back against the pillows and folded her hands down in front of her.

"Oh, I just assumed. I mean, what else could it have been?" Yuki quickly added. Hatori obviously hadn't told her what had caused her to have such a serious reaction. The dragon was a smart man. If he hadn't told Tohru, there was a reason for it, and Yuki wouldn't tamper with that. He touched a lock of her hair, "Rest now, Honda-san"

Tohru smiled and lowered herself off the pillows, then set her head down on them, "Arigatou Sohma-kun"

Hatori stood there silently as Kyou vented, yelling at him about anything and everything. The doctor didn't entirely understand the point of this conversation, but he allowed the cat to continue for a few more minutes before finally looking down at his watch. "I need to go"

"Back to Korosu? Huh?" Kyou taunted angrily, hands balled into fists at his side as he turned and glared at Hatori. "How could you do that to her, you bastard?" He was yelling now, his anger extremely evident.

At that statement, Hatori paused and raised a brow. He truly didn't understand the meaning behind Kyou's words.

"Don't give me that look! I know you planned with Korosu to make Tohru fall in love with you. Well the tricks on you, bastard! Korosu played you! He plans on marrying Tohru. He used you to get closer to her and he hurt her!" He winced, finally feeling the pain from all his movement in his ribs.

Those words, Hatori understood, though they weren't true. A shocked expression washed over his features. He was being falsely accused. Never….he had never tried to harm Tohru, nor had he worked with Korosu to bring her to him. Never. "I don't know where you received your information from Kyou, but you're mistaken."

"Bastard, I know what's going on. Stay away from Tohru!" Kyou snapped.

Hatori stared a moment longer, "Iie"

"Huh?" Kyou asked.

"No Kyou, I will not"

That night, Kyou did something he would have normally never done: He confided in Yuki. He caught the rat coming down into the kitchen and for Tohru's sake, he told Yuki everything that had happened with Hatori. People listened to Yuki, and no one ever listened to him. If Yuki knew, he would have more power to help her. It was a serious stab to his pride, but he urged himself forward.

"I don't believe it. Hatori?" Yuki asked with a tone of disbelief.

Just as Kyou was about to reply, Shigure entered the kitchen. Yuki immediately tensed, "Shigure"

The older man held up a hand to silence them, "I bring gifts" he teased, then revealed two white envelopes. He handed one to Yuki and one to Kyou, before silently heading off again.

This only worried Yuki more. He glanced at the cat and slowly opened the envelope. Kyou did the same. Both looked surprised at it's contents.

"Tohru will be mine one way or another. There isn't much any of you can do about it. She'll live with me until the day I die—" Yuki read.

Kyou picked up where he left off, "--- But in the case that something does happen to me, someone has to take care of precious Tohru. But who? That is up to you to decide…"

Back at the Sohma estate, Hatori leaned forward in his chair, reading the letter on his desk, "—Tomorrow, you and two other opponents will compete for the fair maiden's affection. Who will win?"

Hatori sighed, "This has Ayame written all over it…"

Authors Notes: Goodness, it's been so long since I updated anything. Why didn't anyone tell me that along with all the work that came with senior year, there was an extreme amount of drama to boost the stress? Those who go to school with me and know what I am talking about. For those who don't…pray for me. I'm dealing with a psycho.

I've also been busy with college essays. Funny how I can sit here and write a billion page story but I can't sit and write a 500 word essay….

Anyway, enough! I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to posting the next chapter…and thanks for Ryu-kun for giving me the idea! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the past chapter, I appreciate the feedback! Oh, and I just love this new "reply to reviews" features. Leave me a good review, and I'll get back to ya!