Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.
Winter Memories
Hatori gazed down at the hard frozen water. It was the middle of January, and the ground was still coated in snow and ice. It was a cold day, and it was quite windy and unpleasant.
He looked up to the sound of shouting and laughter. Tohru, Momiji, Kyo, and Yuki were together at the other end of the frozen lake. Momiji was teaching Tohru how to ice skate, and Kyo and Yuki were busy arguing. No surprises there.
When Akito had discovered the groups' plans to go out for the day, he had ordered Hatori to watch after them. Naturally, he had agreed.
He sighed. He remembered going to this exact lake with Kana when they had still been a couple. For him, it brought back many memories. For Kana….those memories had been long since erased.
Flashback
Kana's joyful laughter rang out in the brisk winter air, clear and strong. She was quite a graceful ice skater, which was one of the reasons why she insisted they both go to the lake for the day.
She smiled kindly as she watched a tall man with jet-black hair struggle not to fall on the slippery surface. This was his first time ice-skating, and needless to say, he was quite the beginner.
Kana glided over to him, her expression warm and happy as she grasped his hand and helped him to balance. Hatori avoided her gaze, feeling slightly embarrassed and that he had made a fool of himself.
Kana's grip on his hand tightened as she began to lead him across the smooth ice. She skated slowly and carefully, making sure to help Hatori should he slip again. "Try moving your feet like this. You need to place an equal amount of weight on both feet so you won't tip over again."
Hatori allowed a small smile to grace his features. He wasn't much to ice-skate, but being with her made him want to come back to the lake again.
End Flashback
That had seemed so long ago. He would never be able to forget when she first taught him how to ice-skate that day, her encouraging smile, or the love that they had shared.
He heard Kyo suddenly give a shout that sounded halfway between anger and worry. He lifted his head just in time to see Tohru skid across the ice and fall, her eyes swirling. Shaking his head, he stood up, before slowly moving across the ice. He held out a gloved hand, which she took gratefully.
"Thank you, Hatori-San."
Hatori nodded, before sliding his feet one at a time, in a graceful motion across the ice. "Try moving your feet like this. You need to place an equal amount of weight on both feet so you won't tip over."
Tohru smiled happily as she obliged, soon being able to control her speed and balance as she continued to slide her feet back and forth, one in front of the other.
Suddenly, the freezing day didn't seem as unpleasant as it had earlier in the day. In fact, it seemed to have become much more enjoyable.
As the two began to skate around the entire circumference of the lake, the quiet mood was suddenly broken by Kyo's surprised comment. "Since when the hell does Hatori know how to ice-skate?"
A/N: Three stories in one night:O