- Chapter 7 -

- Secret -

A few months had passed since living with Hatori and Enjeru didn't really know how to spend her days but to sit and wait for something to happen really. She sketched in notebooks, and sometimes Ayame and Mine wanted her to try on new dresses, whether it was for someone else, or it was for her, she was usually the person who'd try it on so that they could put the finishing touches on it. Though Enjeru didn't really like to be used like a doll, she lived through it anyway, just for something to do really. She appreciated how Ayame tried to help her through everything, and how Mine tried to help as well. Though usually they had done quite the opposite of helping. 'Oh well' she always thought when something started to backfire on them. She always kept a smile, never once frowning or looking upset. She wanted it to look like everything would be fine.

Even though Hatori came over once a week to 'check up' on her, she missed him a great deal. Sometimes one would find her by a window, staring out it in old habit, perhaps wishing that Hatori's car would roll up, or someone she knew would walk up the driveway. This particular day was a Tuesday. Hatori came by every Saturday and didn't leave until Sunday afternoon to evening, he spent the night with her. She rarely got sleep when he was over. They'd stay up until the very early hours of the morning, talking, holding one another, and random bouts of playful argument about Hatori wanting her to sing to him. She always gave in sooner or later and usually hummed a tune she made up on the spot. After a while of this, she'd usually find Hatori asleep, holding her still while he rested against the head board of her bed. Not too much later she'd fall asleep against him, only to be woken up at god forsaken hours of the morning by Ayame talking loudly about how cute they looked.

But today, today is Tuesday. Two days after Hatori was there, and four days until he'd be there again. Enjeru found herself staring out the window with loneliness in her eyes, longing on her face. She never heard the door open or see Ayame enter. She was too occupied looking out at the driveway, appearing to be waiting for some sort of surprise visit. Ayame backed out of the room, closing the door gently, he waited a moment, thinking before he burst into her room this time. She gasped when he came in as he hugged her from behind, his arms around the front of her shoulders. She looked up at him and couldn't help the smile that came to her face.

"Are you busy today?" Ayame asked.

"No, why, what did you want to do today?" Enjeru asked.

"We're going on a trip! Only an outing, we'll be back before dark. Hari-kun's going to give us a ride. He'll be here in a half hour."

"Ha... Hatori-chan's going to be here..? But it's Tuesday..."

"Hari-kun needs to check up on Yuki-ototo and we haven't visited in a while... so I asked him to take us there."

"What's wrong with Yuki-ototo?"

"He's sick... Ah, Hari-kun's early!" Ayame said, looking out her window before he went to go let Hatori in, leaving Enjeru by herself.

Enjeru looked worried. She wondered why Ayame never told her that Yuki was sick. Maybe he felt that he wouldn't worry her with a small cold that Yuki may have. She worried, knowing how he was since he was small. Knowing that a cold could cause more than just a miserable day for him, just as standing was more than just an effort for her. She bit her bottom lip before she turned her wheelchair just as Hatori walked in with a small smile on his face, Ayame behind him saying something about how she kept looking for him through the window.

She looked worriedly up at him, "is Yuki-ototo alright..?"

"I'm told that it's only a cold, we'll find out soon though," Hatori said as he went to the back of her wheelchair and pushed her to the entrance of the store front.

"But... is he going to be alright Hatori-chan..?"

"He'll be just fine koishii. He'll be fine."

Hatori helped her into the passenger side seat, while Ayame voluntarily took the back seat, laughing and talking on and on while Hatori drove down the road, ignoring him the entire time. Enjeru looked to Hatori during the drive, then watched homes and people as they passed them. She was worried about Yuki, hoping that he'd be just fine, but she also worried about Hatori. She saw a faint scratch beneath his eye, his hair covering it, but she tried not to notice it. She never told him that she saw it either. Hatori was distant right now. She could tell by the look in his eyes, that he wanted to be with her more, but she also saw pain there too.

Enjeru kept looking out the window as thoughts and memories came up about Kana, the only other girl Hatori had been with. Was Enjeru jealous? Perhaps she was. Enjeru had wanted to tell Hatori that she liked him since they were in high school together. But then she was locked up in that room. When she had gotten the chance to tell him, Kana was already in the picture. Sometimes Enjeru would ask about Kana, Hatori didn't tell her much, other than he was happy. Enjeru hummed and sung sad songs, and cried especially when she heard that Hatori had asked to marry Kana. Though, just before Kana had her memory erased, Enjeru had finally accepted her as someone who would always be there for Hatori. Enjeru felt that she wouldn't ever be able to be there for Hatori like Kana was. Enjeru felt that she'd never be able to have a relationship in any way. When she had heard about Kana's memory being erased, she cried even more. She wished she could have been there for Hatori... but she couldn't.

The car stopped and Enjeru jolted out of her thoughts, looking around, she recognized Shigure's home in front of them. Hatori got out, rounding the front of the car to the passenger's side while Ayame bailed from the back seat and brought a wheelchair out of the trunk. Hatori picked Enjeru up out of the car and carried her almost to the door, they heard Tohru say that Hatori was there. Ayame wasted no time in barging into the house, calling Yuki's name. Hatori placed Enjeru into her wheel chair then wheeled her inside.

Tohru gasped upon seeing Ayame and Enjeru at the house as well. Tohru tried to nicely calm Ayame down, she claimed him to be sleeping, which would be a miracle at this point. Ayame, never used to anyone really telling him to do anything, didn't follow directions until Enjeru spoke up and gave them. After hearing Enjeru's voice telling him these things he needed to do, like be quiet, he promptly followed each and every direction. Enjeru smiled lightly and laughed a little.

"Yuki is in his room, yes?" Hatori asked Tohru.

"Yes, up the stairs, third room on the right." Tohru instructed.

Hatori smiled a little, "alright, up we go Enjeru-chan," Hatori said quietly as he picked up Enjeru.

Enjeru's lips curled up a little. She looked over Hatori's shoulder and mouthed to Tohru to keep Ayame busy, and that Enjeru had told Ayame to listen to Tohru. Hatori glanced over at Enjeru's face, her eyes were sparkling at Tohru, with what seemed like to Hatori to be amusement and a small bit of envy. Whatever it was, he left it alone and carried her up the stairs up to Yuki's room. The small room was neat, as she had expected from her little brother. Both of her brothers were never messy or unorganized. Ayame was always gently picking on Enjeru for her messy desk and nicely helping her clean everything up.

Hatori set her on the side of Yuki's bed so that she was sitting next to her sleeping brother. Hatori placed his hand for a moment on her head before leaving to go get his medical bag. Enjeru watched Hatori leave before she looked back to Yuki. Yuki's face was slightly flushed with fever, a slight sweat on his brow. Enjeru pulled out a handkerchif and folded it into a square before dabbing it on his forehead. Yuki groaned Tohru's name in question as he turned toward his sister and slowly opened his eyes.

"Onee-chan..? What are you doing here?" Yuki asked quietly, with a small wrasp to his voice.

"Sh," she cooed softly, "Hatori-chan brought me, he's just going to make sure nothing bad will happen to you."

"Who called him?"

"Don't worry, Tohru-kun called him. She's concerned for your health," Enjeru said softly, brushing the hair out of his face.

"How are you doing? Akitou-sama's not controlling you anymore, is he?" Yuki asked, his own concern twisting his kind, sweet face to that of concern and a glimmer of hate.

"Don't worry ototo-chan. I'm fine. I have my power under control."

A knock came to the door and both Yuki and Enjeru turned to see who it was. Hatori walked in with a small smile on his face as he glanced at the brother and sister. He set his bag at the end of the bed and gently instructed Yuki as he ran a couple of tests. Enjeru watched Hatori, for a moment her eyes filled with worry and sadness, but when Yuki caught her eye, she smiled at him as if there was never a moment of worry. Yuki looked up at Hatori to see what had worried his sister, due to he had seen the worry and sadness. He then saw the scratch below Hatori's eye, though he had seen it better than his sister, and it was indeed worse than what she had seen it as.

"Hatori-san, what is that cut beneath your eye from?" Yuki asked once Hatori had removed the themometer from Yuki's mouth.

"It's nothing," Hatori said with a small glance to Enjeru.

Enjeru saw the pain in his eyes, and he saw the unmistakable heart break in hers, "Hatori-chan... what happened?"

There was slight shame in his voice, "I'll tell you later."

She grabbed his arm, tears gathering in her eyes, "Hatori-chan... please... Did Akitou-sama do that to you? Was it because of me?"

Hatori closed his eyes and tilted his head away from her, pulling away from her a little. She let his arm fall through her fingers.

"I'll leave Tohru-kun with instructions. Call me when you're done up here Enjeru," Hatori said as he left the room with his bag in tow.

Once the door closed Enjeru broke down and cried.

"Onee-chan... What happened?" Yuki asked.

"Oh Yuki-ototo..." Enjeru whined and moaned quietly between two sobs as she threw her arms around her brother, who was sitting up by now.

"What happened?" Yuki asked, letting his older sister cry on his shoulder.

"Hatori-chan and I talked about it for a long time... we want to get married some day... I don't want Akitou-sama to hurt him... I-I don't know what happened... I didn't even know he met with Akitou-sama today."

"Onee-chan..."

--

Hatori had not left the top floor when he left, he had stood outside of Yuki's room and listened to Enjeru and Yuki. He closed his eyes, his hand clenching into a fist and shaking. He hated himself right now for not telling Enjeru what had happened, and what he knew. He wanted to tell her, he really wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. It'd change their lives forever. So instead of broading over it too long, he calmed down, sighing a little before he finally went downstairs and gave Tohru directions on how to take care of Yuki. Though before he could do much else, Shigure, acting like his old self, stole Hatori from the living room and pulling him into Shigure's study with Ayame. Ayame's and Shigure's hysterical laughter could be heard from the room a few moments later.