Hello! How are you! Anyway.

Thank you veeeeeeery much for reading this, and if you reviewed, lemme tell ya, you made my life. Uh… Haru might be a tad OOC, maybe a little in this chapter and in a bit later on, but hopefully he'll obey me at a later point XD

Um… I really hope you enjoy Chapter 2!

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Akito wanted Hatori. He wanted Hatori now. The doctor always seemed to show up whenever Akito didn't want him, and now that he did, Hatori was nowhere to be seen. Akito crossed his arms and pondered what he should do. He could go look for Hatori, but then again, he shouldn't have to, Hatori should be there when he wanted him. He could send a servant to find Hatori, but then they would probably have a very interesting conversation when the servant found him, probably pertaining to Akito, and the God didn't like that idea. He could sit here and wait…

Nah.

While Akito was pondering, he coughed idly in to his hand, and cleared his throat. Then he inhaled- only to be cut short by another cough. Akito knew the pattern of this. It happened to him so often. So without panic or confusion, as most people have when having a cough attack, trying to gasp for air and swallow, Akito let the coughs wrack his delicate body, only slightly surprised when he tasted blood in his mouth. He spit it out onto the floor. The coughs slowly subsided, giving him time to spit out more of the blood, and take a few shaky breaths.

"Akito?" Ah. So there was the doctor. "You should have let me examine you before. Or at least gone to bed as I asked you to." 'Who the hell does he think he is!' "…And I know you're probably thinking 'who the hell does he think he is?' but Akito, for your own good…" Akito hated it when he did that.

Hatori was still droning on. "I wanted…" Akito paused to take a ragged breath "To talk to you."

"About what?"

"The…" Again he paused "Girl that Hatsu… haru saw today." Hatori simply nodded, afraid of what was to come, but not daring to interrupt. "I want her… here."

"Akito…" Hatori didn't know what do say, but he knew not all people would respond to the Sohma family as well as Tohru Honda, and a random stranger might be terrified into doing something drastic.

Akito narrowed his eyes "It is not your place to disagree with me." Hatori was always surprised at Akito's quick changes in condition whenever he felt strongly on a point. Unfortunately, the strongest emotion he ever felt was anger. These brief periods of strength always had their repercussions later, but during them, Akito could be lethal. Hatori quickly scanned the room for things which Akito could throw at him. The only things he could see as movable were some vases, and they were on a table on the other side of the room. Even with his extra surge of strength, Akito could not possibly beat Hatori to them if he decided to make a break for it. Of course Akito might just hit him…

Hatori tried to phrase his concerns in the best possible way "Akito… this girl might be scared if we seek her out. She might contact the police, thinking we're stalking her. We can't have the police in here, or they might see some things we would rather keep hidden."

Akito turned his head and looked out the window "Let them come."

Hatori sighed and massaged his temples. He really needed a smoke. "If they came, they would undoubtedly look around a little too much." He looked up and met Akito's gaze unblinkingly "Do you honestly think they wouldn't put you in a hospital? The only reason you're not in one now is because no one on the Outside knows how serious your condition is, and because we make generous 'donations' to our medical suppliers. Normal households are not allowed to have Morphine, Oxygen tanks, and Skeletal Muscle Relaxers without permits from Doctors, and they're always checked up on."

"Perhaps I'd be better off in a hospital than here with you." Akito glared at the insolent dragon "I know you want me dead."

"I want no such thing, Akito." Hatori said gently, softening. He knew from the look in the God's eyes that Akito was not trying to win, but it was what he truly felt.

"I'm already ill, yet you insist on giving me your 'medicines' that make me feel worse. Why should I trust you?"

Again Hatori felt the jab of Nicotine depravation "Would you trust some strangers who would find no reason for your illnesses that they can explain, and then would try to test you, more?"

Akito slumped again "Just bring her here." Hatori knew he was being dismissed and stood.

"I will be back in twenty minutes to tend to you. And if you don't comply then I'll bring servants with me to hold you down." He exited swiftly before Akito could gather enough breath to reply.

Hatori walked quickly through the Sohma estate until he found Haru's house. He knocked, but heard no answer. Sighing, he let himself in went up to Haru's room, where he found the Ox sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He looked at Hatori when he heard him come in, then back at the ceiling.

"Akito was right. I should have brought her back here."

Hatori seated himself at Haru's desk. "Yes, then she would have thought we were kidnapping her and called the police. Then there would have been an investigation on Sohma property. You did the right thing. I just need to know the girl's name."

Haru still stared pointedly at the ceiling "Kirihara… Mahiru Kirihara." Haru turned to face Hatori "Why?"

"Akito." Hatori gave Haru a strained smile, then left, walking through the estate, then leaned against the main house and lit a cigarette.

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Mahiru had to stop and rest halfway up the stairs. She had been at work for the last 5 hours. The late shift was always so much fun. She finally made it to her apartment and shut the door with a sigh. Then walked straight towards the bedroom.

"Mahiru."

She stopped when she heard her name, and turned, impatiently scraping the used take-out carton off her shoes with the table. "Oh… Kameko-san. I'm sorry if I woke you." The oldest of Mahiru's roommates, Kameko Ijyuin felt it was an insult to her personally that she had to sleep on a couch. Mahiru had offered her bed many times to the older girl, Kameko always refused. Secretly the other girls thought she just wanted something to complain about. Mahiru didn't think that the couch was too bad, and Takara-chan slept on the floor. It was only a one bedroom apartment, with no real kitchen and five people sharing it.

"It's fine. I can hardly sleep on this table anyway." Kameko sighed dramatically.

"Anyway… some guys in suits left that for you while you were at work." She motioned to a letter by Takara's sleeping bag on the floor. Takara worked all night. She was an 'Exotic Dancer.'

Mahiru looked at the letter and picked it up. 'Kirihara, Mahiru' was written on the front of the envelope in big block letters. She opened it and read the message.

'Kirihara-san.

The honorable house of Sohma requests your presence

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. at their main estate.'

That was it. There wasn't even an RSVP number; they just assumed she would go. Mahiru knew there was never a chance she would have turned them down.

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Mahiru stood in front of the gates of the Sohma Estate at 1:00, clutching the letter to her chest. Kameko-san had snorted at her outfit, telling her that she would have to do better than that to impress the Sohmas. Mahiru looked down at her barely casual black skirt and sleeveless white button down shirt she wore to work. She was beginning to think Kameko-san was right, but along with her old black coat, it was the best outfit she owned. She took a deep breath, and pressed the button on the intercom by the gates. "Uh… hello Guard-samas. I'm Mahiru. Uh… Mahiru Kirihara. I was given this letter… well actually it was given to Kameko-san but she gave it to me…" She jumped and yelped a little bit when the gates opened, took another deep breath, squared her shoulders, and walked in, giving the guard's station a timid wave. The man sitting there looked incredulous when he saw her acknowledgement. 'Maybe I'm not supposed to notice the hired help?' As hired help herself, Mahiru knew too well what it was like to be ignored in a roomful of people. She suddenly realized, as she walked up the path, that she had no idea where she was going. At all. She thought there would just be one big mansion, but apparently that wasn't the case. She glanced around nervously, and then stopped as the path in front of her branched into two smaller paths. Her heart beat frantically and she tried to keep breathing.

"Hello."

Mahiru screamed and whipped around, where she came face to face with a very surprised Hatsuharu Sohma. "I'm sorry for scaring you." He paused for a moment, and then said thoughtfully "For yesterday and just now. I apologize." He gave her a slight bow.

"I…uh… you have a lovely home Sohma-sama." Mahiru fudged and bowed deeply. When she looked up he was smiling.

"Just call me Haru."

"Haru…san?" She questioned meekly.

He smiled at her again, and then led her (with some trial and error) through the winding paths and extraordinary gardens to the main house. Mahiru gasped when she realized the giant house in front of her was their destination. It seemed slightly foreboding, and her stomach clenched, making it hard for her to breath. The vegetation, dying in the winter frost, seemed to agree with her. She cast an uneasy glance at Haru, who returned it. Once there, he was reluctant to let her go in. She seemed nice enough, and he didn't want to expose her to Akito alone.

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Akito watched the girl through his window. She wasn't quite as ugly as the Honda bitch. But she was still far from pretty. She had long straight hair, cut straight, with no angles or bangs. Quite plain. Akito chuckled to himself. Really, the way her hair hung around her face make her head look long. Rather like a lizard. Or a goat. There was nothing extraordinary about this girl. Akito scowled as Hatori went out to meet them and shook hands with the girl, who looked quite flustered. His scowl deepened when he saw the brief conversation the two Jyuunishi had, both with concerned expressions, and they glanced up at his window often, though never long enough to see him spying. They went inside, and Akito opened his shoji doors and then stepped outside and lowered himself onto the ground in the brisk afternoon sun. They would come to him when she knew.

Sorry, it's me again. Um… If your reading this it probably meant you read this chapter, and that makes me totally love you. If you have any constructive criticism, PLEASE share. Or just boost my confidence. Your call :P Thanks!

Esthetic