Tarja opened her eyes slowly and found a smiling face beaming down on her. She jumped up, slamming back against the couch.
"Hey!" the young boy laughed. "Calm down, I won't hurt you. I'm Momiji! What's your name?"
Tarja looked at the blonde haired youth and smiled. He seemed harmless enough. And the doctor was nowhere in sight.
"I'm Tarja, nice to meet you," she said. The little boy smiled even wider.
"It's great to meet you!" he said. "Hatori was really worried when he found you. I was afraid you weren't going to make it, since he made me go to school. I wanted to stay and make sure you were alright."
His concern genuinely touched the girl, and she grinned. Plus, his energy was intoxicating. He asked her if she hungry.
"Famished," she admittedly, her stomach rumbling. Momiji laughed and pulled her by the hand to the kitchen, where he pulled out a variety of junk food.
"Hatori doesn't eat this stuff, but he buys it for me!"
Tarja looked at the contents laid out before her. Bags of potato chips, candy, and cookies. Nothing that would really suit her.
"Do you have any meat?" she asked. "I need to get more iron in my body, since I lost of lot blood."
"Of course!" Momiji leapt up into the cupboard and pulled out a bag of dried beef strips. "Here you go!"
Tarja looked at the package, but decided it might be the best she'd get and tore into the meat. Momiji looked on curiously as she tore at the strips, almost like a dog.
No, that's not right, he thought. Like a wolf. There was something wild about her.
The door opened and Hatori entered. Momiji and Tarja looked up, both of them freezing.
"So," Hatori nodded at the food in her hands. "You're feeling well enough to eat?"
"I needed to regain my strength," she explained. He nodded. Momiji noticed the tension between them and tried to break the ice.
"Tohru invited us over for dinner!" He exclaimed. "She's making Yakisoba and fish! Can we go, Hatori?"
Tarja silently wondered who Tohru was. She saw Hatori's nod and Momiji went wild with all his cheering. She figured it was a good friend of Momiji's and apparently, Hatori knew her too.
"Are you coming, too?" She looked down into Momiji's smiling visage and shook her head.
"No, I'm heading out," she told him quietly.
"You're welcome to join us," Hatori commented. "Tohru is a good cook and she'll make sure you get well."
"Who is Tohru?"
"She stays at Shigure's house. That's Hari's cousin. Shigure is a novelist!" Momiji's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Some of my younger relatives, Yuki and Kyo, live there also," Hatori threw in. Tarja bit her lip. She'd have to be even more secretive, being in the company of so many strangers. She really hadn't had much social interaction lately.
"I suppose," she said slowly. "It won't hurt to stay a bit longer!"
"Yay!" Momiji yelled, and Tarja and Hatori both winced.
Hatori knocked lightly on the bathroom door. The sound of pouring water stopped and a hesitant voice asked him what he wanted.
"I have some clean clothes for you," Hatori told the young woman through the door.
"Set them on the floor," came her reply. He did as told and retreated back into his office. After a few moments, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Did you analyze the sample yet?" he asked the person who answered.
"Oh, Doctor Sohma," came a woman's voice. "Yes I did, and this is the strangest thing I've ever seen."
"Tell me what you found," Hatori took out a pad of paper.
"Well, she has normal human DNA, but…" the woman paused.
Hatori narrowed his eyes. "But?"
" There's an extra strand."
"What?" Hatori sat up. "And what kind of strand is it?" He knew the members of the zodiac had unique blood, which was infused with the spirit of the vengeful animal possessing them, meaning no one outside the family was supposed to get a hold of this.
"Canis Rufus," she stated.
"Translation?"
"Hatori, she has wolf DNA." Wolf?
Tarja opened the door a crack and pulled the clothes off the floor, slamming the door again. She stood facing the mirror, wearing only her underwear and tank top. The wound was healing nicely, she thought. Only some small scrapes and a bruise were visible, but it'd be a few days before she was back to full health.
She pulled up the shirt Hatori had offered her. It was a crushed cotton top in black, with peasant sleeves. She eased it over her head and was surprised at the nice fit. The other garment was a pair of dark wash jeans.
She was grateful they weren't pastel or bright colors. They made her feel uncomfortable.
Opening the door, she nearly collided with Hatori. He looked preoccupied and avoided her eyes.
"We should get going then," he said quietly. "I don't want to be late." Tarja nodded and followed him down the hallway.
Save for Momiji being his usual hyper self, the car ride was tensely silent. Tarja avoided Hatori's eyes and he did likewise. Neither knew what to say, and Tarja was wondering what was eating him.
The doctor, on the other hand, was trying to think of a possible reason for her to possess wolf DNA. She was not a member of the Zodiac or even of their family. But it might explain why she was able to heal so fast.
He desperately wanted to get to the bottom of things.