Chapter 2: Comfort Sohma Style

Biting her lip as she pulled back the covers of her bed, Tohru thought furiously, 'What could Grandpa want? Did I do something? Is this just something that Negi-san made? What am I going to do? What else could go wrong? My future-what did he mean about my future-'

"I can hear your thoughts racing, Tohru-kun," called out a voice.

Startled, Tohru turned to see Hatori…standing impatiently with his back facing her. Blushing furiously, she couldn't help but notice that he had, what Uo-chan often liked to admire in guys, a very fine ass. 'And a very nice piece in front' whispered a thought through her head. Tohru closed her eyes tightly and admonished herself for looking down there. Except when she did, the image of Kyo and Hatori…she let out a small whimper as she tried to block the image.

"Tohru-kun? Are you all right?" Hatori asked in alarm as he swung around. He blinked as he saw the image of Tohru squeezing her head between her hands as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her cheeks were a furious shade of red. He immediately went to her and put his hands over hers, pulling them away gently. "I thought I told you to not worry, Tohru-kun. It'll be all right."

"No, if this happens- it won't ever be all right again," Tohru said as she shook her head even more to get rid of the image of Hatori-san and Kyo-kun from her head. She felt her ears start to burn. "It won't be the same any more. It can't be. It just can't."

"Yes, it will, Tohru," Hatori said gently. He watched as Tohru shook her head vigorously. He crooked his finger under her chin and lifted her face towards his. A fleeting smile passed his lips as he saw her still scrunched face. If she keeps this up, she would definitely put herself into a state. "Yes, it will. You have nothing to worry about. You'll get past this- we all will. Your grandfather didn't sound like he was going to do any planning for your future against your will."

"My grandfather?" Tohru opened her eyes and looked at him blankly. Then she remembered with a vengeance. Good heavens, she was so busy trying to not lust after Hatori she forgot about Grandpa! "Grandpa! Tomorrow! What am I going to do? My future! Grandpa!"

"Tohru-kun, it will be all right." His brows furrowed in concentration as Hatori tried to remember the brief conversation. "He sounded very nice; he wanted to know how you were doing even before he told me about wanting you to come over."

"Well, Grandpa is a very nice man," Tohru said tentatively as she looked straight into Hatori's dark eyes. She forced herself to smile gaily. He had such kind and beautiful eyes. "He wouldn't take me away from here, right? Because he knew that I would be happier here, right?"

"I'm sure that he knows that you're happy here," Hatori affirmed as he let his finger pull the hair away from her face. Her attempt at a carefree smile wasn't fooling anyone. "And I'm sure that nothing will happen."

"But he wants to discuss my guardianship," Tohru protested as tears started to come to her eyes. "He's going to have a lawyer there-"

"No, he didn't say that he as going to discuss your guardianship," Hatori corrected as he put a finger on her soft lips. At her stunned look, he quickly removed it from her mouth. "Your grandfather said that he was only going to have a lawyer present not that he was going to do something about your guardianship. That was Kyo's idea. And I don't want to guess what he wants a lawyer there for- it's no use making yourself sick over something that might just turn out to be nothing. Understand?"

Her eyes wide and lips tingling, Tohru nodded her head slowly. 'Oh my, his finger was so warm.' "Hatori-san-"

Hatori noted her expression and sighed softly. Her cheeks were redder than before. The girl was still worried. 'Or she could be attracted to you' whispered an unspoken thought. He severely squashed the errant thought. Tohru was a patient that needed care. "I sincerely doubt that you'll be going alone to your grandfather's. I can drive you and Shigure there and I think that Yuki and Kyo would like to go as well."

"Shigure wants to come? And Kyo and Yuki?" Tohru blinked. "But I can't ask you to drive me or to come- you're all so busy with-"

"I know that they would want to introduce themselves to your grandfather, just to be polite," Hatori said patiently as he fluffed her pillow. 'And, I think, to make sure that you come back safely. Plus the three of them will be climbing the walls if you insist that they stay home,' he added mentally as he patted the bed for her to get in. As she complied, he sat down beside her and added, "And I don't know if you know this, but Shigure was once a lawyer before he started writing full time."

"Shigure was a lawyer?" Tohru blinked as she sat on the bed. "Honto? He was once a lawyer?"

"Honto," Hatori said with a small smile. She looked like a small, wide-eyed child wanting to be reassured against the monsters of the night. "He was very good but with his disposition, well, you've seen what he does to his editor. And he found out that writing those novels of his-"

"Were a lot more fun than being around those dusty tomes anyway," Shigure added as he stood leaning against the door way. Smiling, he came into Tohru's room. "Here I am to gather the dirty dishes and what do I find? You letting out the ancient bones I buried in my closet, Haa-san. And just what are you doing on the bed with my little flower? About to steal a good-night kiss from her, are you?"

"Oh, no! Hatori-san wasn't- he didn't," Tohru started to babble as she looked from Shigure to Hatori and then back again. Her face flushed alarmingly as she held a death grip on her covers. She winced at the pain radiating from her hurt fingers. "Hatori-san-he-well- he was-he-"

"Don't pay attention to the stupid Dog, Tohru. He was using his poor humor on you when he knows that he shouldn't right now," Hatori said as he calmly rose from Tohru's side. He carefully kept his face bland as looked at Shigure slightly. He put his hands on top of Tohru's and gently eased her death grip on the covers. "Let go of the covers, Tohru. You're hurting you hand even more. He really has no idea of what he's saying, Tohru-kun. It was amazing that he even made a decent living as a lawyer."

"I was a very good lawyer. I just hated the daily work." Recognizing the killing look in his cousin's eye and the distressed look on Tohru's face, Shigure sighed. He was in for it when Harii got with him alone. Oh, well. He might as well be hung for everything if he was going to be scolded. He bumped his cousin over as he flopped next to Tohru on her bed. "So you pried out of Harii that I was once a lawyer. Good for you! You're becoming nosy!"

"Oh no! Nononono! I didn't mean to pry! I really didn't!" Tohru started to babble in alarm as she looked at Shigure. "Honto! Hatori-san was just-"

Recognizing the signs of Tohru getting worked up again; Hatori gave into the rare urge and slapped his cousin on the back of his head. "Stop teasing her like that."

"Ow! That hurt!" Shigure exclaimed as he grabbed his head. He eyed his cousin in stunned amazement. Hatori hadn't hit him since high school. "You hit me!"

"You deserved it," Hatori said calmly as he crossed his arms. "You were upsetting Tohru-kun. Now you calm her-"

"And Hatori-san said that you were a lawyer, he just told me like that," Tohru continued to babble. "It's not that he was telling me a deep dark secret of yours and that I had intentionally asked him on what you did because that's really not my business on what you do or did before I knew you were a writer-"

"Gladly. Tohru-kun, I'm going to calm you down," Shigure said as he started to lean towards her face. Then he felt a hand on his should and then felt his ass lad hard on the floor. "Huh?"

"On second thought, she's better off without you calming her down," Hatori said as he put an arm around Tohru's shoulder. "It's all right, he was just teasing you again, Tohru-kun."

"Eh? Eh? What happened?" Tohru yelped as she looked down at Shigure in alarm. "Did I kick you off the bed? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an accident-"

"He only slipped off the bed, Tohru-kun," Hatori said as he picked up Shigure off the floor and started to dust his cousin off hard. "Your covers are satin and slippery."

"Ne, Tohru-kun, I'm not really angry," Shigure smiled as he plopped himself by her side again. He leaned over and patted her cheek. "And I was going to tell you myself that I was a lawyer and that I wanted to go with you. In fact, I think it was about time for me to meet your grandfather face-to-face. After all, it's only been about three months since you've officially moved here and it would only be polite to let him know what kind of people his granddaughter is living with."

"Oh, that's good to know." Relief filled Tohru as she smiled tentatively at Shigure. "I'll call Grandpa tomorrow to tell him that you're coming with us."

Shigure frowned slightly. He looked at his cousin slyly. "Us? As in Harii is coming too?"

"Hai!" Tohru said cheerfully. She smiled to let him know it was all right. "He said that Yuki and Kyo are probably coming too because you would all want to meet with Grandpa to be polite."

"Well, isn't it grand to be predictable," Shigure muttered as he glanced up at Hatori. Shaking his head, he smiled. "Well, then, I guess it's all settled. And all of us will go and meet your grandfather and then we'll all come home. I promise. Down to the last man. And if he tries to take you, why we'll know there's safety in numbers-ow! My foot!"

"You couldn't just quit while you were ahead," Hatori mumbled as he got off of Shigure's foot. "Now, Tohru-kun-"

"Hatori-san? He didn't sound like he would do that? Did he?" Tohru asked in alarm. She gripped at her blanket again, barely noticing the pain in her hand. "Do you really think that there's nothing for me to be worried about? He didn't sound-"

"What is this? You're trusting Harii's word over mine?" Shigure teased as he looked at Tohru's bowed head. "I'm so hurt! To think that my little flower doesn't trust me! Oh the pain!"

Tohru's head came up like a shot, her eyes wide. "Oh no, Shigure-san! That's not it! It's not at all! I trust you but- I just- it's just that-"

"And who would trust you, you worthless Dog?" Kyo demanded as he strode into Tohru's room and yanked his older cousin off the bed. He glared at Shigure and hauled him up by front of his yukata with his good hand. "And what are you doing on her bed, you pervert? Get off!"

"Since Hatori answered the phone and you didn't," Yuki said at the same time. He followed Kyo in, just behind a step. "She just wants to know if he sounded mad or suspicious." He cracked his knuckles as he looked at Shigure. "And what were you doing on her bed?"

"Harii sat down there first," Shigure protested as he threw up his hands and his cousin to protect himself from the beating he could see in their eyes.

Kyo and Yuki looked at each other then at Hatori then at Shigure. Yuki simply shrugged. "He's Tohru's doctor."

"And he's not a total pervert like you," Kyo added as he gave Shigure a small shake. He held Shigure firmly as he forced him to face the Rat.

"Oh, help!" Shigure winced as he got ready for Yuki's fist. "Yuki's going to hit me!"

"Oh no, oh no," Tohru blinked as she saw Kyo holding Shigure-san and Yuki getting ready to hit him. Tears started to form around her eyes. "But Shigure-san is-Oh, I mean, Kyo-kun I- no, I mean Sohma-kun-oh-"

"If you boys are going to beat him, I suggest that you do it in the other room," Hatori said as he looked at the three. "Tohru doesn't need to be more upset than she is right now."

Alarmed, the three Sohmas looked at the small figure on the bed. Tohru was gripping her covers as if they were a lifeline. Kyo immediately let go of Shigure, dropping him heavily on the floor. "Look! Don't you start crying now! We were just going to give him one good-"

"This is my all fault! Oh no! Oh Nononono!" Tohru cried as she looked at Kyo with wide eyes. "I shouldn't have let Shigure-san sit on my bed! Then he wouldn't have fallen off and gotten back on it! And then you and Sohma-kun wouldn't have to hit Shigure-san! And-"

"Honda-san, we weren't really going to hit him," Yuki interrupted as he looked at Kyo and desperately thought of a quick lie. "We were just giving him a warning about sitting on your bed like that-"

"That'd be one painful warning you two were about to give me," Shigure said as he got up off the floor. He felt Yuki step hard on his foot. "But then it was going to be only a warning."

"You were going to hurt Shigure-san for a warning," Tohru sniffed as she looked at Kyo and Yuki. "Really?"

"They wouldn't have hurt me that much and if they did, you'd have to come to my room and help me get better," Shigure said as he waved away her concern then gulped as he realized what his run-away mouth said. He felt the killing glares of not just his younger cousins, but the death stare of Hatori. "But it's all good that they didn't give me such a violent warning."

"But-but a beating is just a warning?" Tohru asked doubtfully.

"Yeah! It was just going to be a warning," Kyo agreed desperately. "Besides-"

"Besides this all is Negi-san's fault," Hatori said calmly as he crossed his arms. He ignored the stares his cousins were giving him. "You know how much trouble that Negi-san likes to cause you every spring."

"Yes, that's true," Tohru agreed as she scowled at her hand. She sniffed. "Negi-san does like to do that. I wouldn't put it past Negi-san to stir trouble in this happy home."

"This is a happy home?" Kyo goggled as he looked at her. When she looked at him with startled eyes, he cleared his throat quickly. He coughed, "Yes, of course this is a happy home. So, of course, Negi-san would want to disturb us."

"So, you can see that Negi-san is still trying to disrupt us because it-it knows how happy we are to be here," Yuki added with a straight face. He refused to look at Shigure or Hatori or Kyo. "You of all people should know how vengeful that Negi-san is."

"Hai, Negi-san is very vengeful," Tohru agreed with a nod. Then she blinked as a thought came to her. "Ano- Where is Negi-san, Sohma-kun?"

With mock innocence, Kyo and Yuki looked at Shigure. Yuki cleared his throat. "Shigure wants to ask you about that."

"Oh, yeah," Kyo snorted as he looked at Shigure with unholy glee. "Shigure wanted to know something about Negi-san."

"Oh?" Tohru blinked as she looked at Shigure curiously. Amused, Hatori saw Shigure's face grow redder. "Shigure-san?"

Shigure coughed and cleared his throat. "Well, we sort of left Negi-san there- in the kitchen. On the floor. After we left apologizing to it. We weren't sure if there was a ritual or ceremony to- ah- dispose of Negi-san."

"Oh, there isn't a ritual or ceremony, really," Tohru said as she shook her head. "Negi-san just needs to be put in a blessed hand-made red, white and brown omamori that has dried pink rose petals and some pine nuts. Then I make my way down to the river or to the wooded area as soon as it nears noon. It all depends on what kind of weather it is."

"I don't think I want to know about this anymore," Kyo muttered as he buried his face in his hand. "Ow!"

"You'd better watch out for that hand or else it'll never heal, Kyo," Hatori warned.

"It-it all depends on what kind of weather?" Yuki asked faintly as he looked at her. He restrained from looking at his cousins. He cleared his throat. "Does it matter?"

"And why do you throw it at noon?" Hatori asked curiously. He ignored the glanced from his cousins. "Is there a reason?"

"Oh, yes," Tohru nodded empathically. "On rainy days, Negi-san prefers to be thrown in a wooded area and on sunny days, the river." She looked at Hatori. "And noon because well, it's the brightest part of the day. Nothing really bad happens at noon." She looked down at her hands. "Bad and horrible things always happen in the morning or in the evening or a night. Things like car accidents."

"Ano- about the weather…why not the other way around?" Shigure asked quickly. He was becoming fascinated by this non-ritual. "One would think that on rainy days, the river and on sunny days the woods."

"I really don't know," Tohru shrugged as she thought about it. She frowned a little. "I think it's just because Negi-san likes to be contrary."

"I see," Yuki mused as he covered his mouth. She looked so serious. "Well-"

"This is just too much!" Kyo shouted as he gripped his hair in frustration. He glared at Tohru. "And you don't call this a ritual? Where the hell are we supposed to find that charm bag? Are we supposed to make it? And why the hell do we need to put rose petals and pine nuts?"

"But you don't need to make an omamori," Tohru blinked as she looked at Kyo. "I made one already. It's in my desk. In the top drawer." She turned red as the four Sohmas stared at her. "I knew that I was going to get hurt by Negi-san soon, so I got one ready. Just in case."

"Very efficient," Hatori commented as he took out the charm bag from her desk. He gave it to Shigure. "Here, now, you can throw it out, Shigure. Since you're the head of this happy home." He looked at Tohru. "See, now you don't have to worry about Negi-san anymore."

"We'll know that you'll do a great job," Kyo said with a smirk. "And be sure to throw Negi-san really hard."

"We'll be rooting for you," Yuki added as he looked at his older cousin with a bland smile.

"Thank so you for the honor," Shigure said sarcastically. He turned to look at Tohru who looked at him worriedly. "Well, now, don't worry about Negi-san and me. But I am fascinated about why you chose this type of omamori and the things you put in it-"

"I just want to know how long this insanity with that damn onion has been going," Kyo interrupted as he looked expectantly at Tohru.

"Not now," Hatori said as he put his hand on Shigure's shoulder. He nodded for the boys to leave. "You can ask her tomorrow. Tohru-kun needs her rest and you three excited her enough for today."

"But Harii! I haven't even yet begun to excite her," Shigure protested as he looked over Hatori's shoulder. He felt the hair on the back of his nape start to stand. He slowly turned back and saw his younger cousins emit an aura of danger. "Ah- Well, now, boys…that's not exactly what I was meaning-eep!"

Kyo grabbed Shigure's arm with his good hand. "Night! We'll see you in the morning! Come on you perverted Dog!"

"Yes, let's go and let Honda-kun to her rest," Yuki said as he gripped Shigure's other arm painfully. "Good-night, Honda-san."

"Good-night, Tohru," Shigure called out. "And if you don't see me, you'll know it's because Negi-san has done his wrathful anger again!"

"Oh no, Shigure-san!" Alarmed, Tohru started to get out of bed. She stopped when Hatori blocked her way. "Hatori-san! Shigure-san-"

"Was only kidding," Hatori said firmly. He brought his face close to hers. "Now get some rest. We've discussed this: You need to heal that hand properly so that you can do your chores and get back to work soon. If you keep using it, it will not heal and you will have to wait twice as long. Now stay in bed."

"Yes, Hatori-san," Tohru said meekly as she stared into his intense eyes. Feeling breathless, she felt herself slip down into her bed again.

"Now, I'll see you in the morning," Hatori said after a minute. He tucked her in and felt his hand move over to her face. Her eyes were wide as the blankets covered half her face. By its own volition, his finger traced her temple. "Don't worry and have pleasant dreams. Everything will be all right. You'll see. Good-night, Tohru-kun."

"Good night, Hatori-san," Tohru said under the covers. "Hatori-san? Will-will you are leaving?"

"I'll be sleeping over tonight," Hatori answered. He gave her a wry smile. "If I go, who knows what Kyo will do to his hand? Getting seven stitches isn't too bad but it also isn't something to be taken too lightly."

Tohru smiled under the covers. "I'm glad that you're staying over then, Hatori-san."

"I am too," Hatori said after a moment. "Do you want me to stay with you? It will be no trouble at all."

The image of Hatori getting into the bed beside her unexpectedly flashed through her mind. 'Naughty, Tohru, naughty.' Tohru bit her lip. She felt her cheeks get red so she lifted the covers even higher. "No, I'll be all right, but thank you so much for thinking about me."

"It's no trouble at all," Hatori said as he walked towards the door, vaguely disappointed that she didn't want him to stay at her side. He reached for the lights. "Good-night, Tohru-kun. And don't worry, everything will be all right."

"Good night, Hatori-san," Tohru said softly. She lowered the blanket and sighed. She really wished Negi-san would have picked a better time to force her imagination to run wild. She did not need to have these imaginings of Hatori while worrying about what her grandfather wanted.