Five
Hatori felt uncomfortably frightened when he saw her rigid, trembling body fall over at the restaurant. He was grateful that he caught her in time, or else she would have not only suffered from this horrible fever, but also gained a few bumps and bruises as well. He was nervous when he held her slender, limp body and lifted her up in his arms. The waiters, curious and shocked, requested to help the tall gentleman, but he waved them off; throwing money onto the table of their uneaten meal.
He had no idea what to do with her or where to bring her at the time. Yet, here he was, watching her sleeping form as he stood near the massive bed in his own solitary bedroom. She tumbled in her slumber, bringing the thin sheet over herself and moaned in her discomfort unconciously. Lifting a brow, he brought his hand to her forehead and grunted to himself silently.
He was in for a long night.
Tooru lifted her heavy lids, sluggishly focusing into the darkness of the room. She was exhausted and drained of all energy, yet she felt quite better. Sighing loudly, she noticed for the first time that this wasn't her room. It was stale and plain, having no soul or comfort. She was nearly suffercating from its dull simplicity. She shivered as she felt highly uncomfortable and foreign to her new surroundings.
"Ah, you're awake at last," came a voice in the darkness, as she saw a shadow come forth. She had to gain all her willpower to not scream in fright at the creature of darkness.
Turning on the lamp beside the bed, the creature was no creature at all. It was Hatori, standing beside her bed. Her eyes widened in surprise, memories of the restaurant returned and she couldn't help but let out a groan of embarassment.
"Are you not well again? I was sure your fever went down, but these type of colds always show their ugly faces when you least expect it."
"N-no, I'm quite well," Tooru whispered. "How long have I been here?"
"Oh, the whole evening I should say," Hatori replied quietly. "Are you comfortable?"
Tooru gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yes, this bed is quite nice actually and I had a wonderful sleep."
"I meant, are you comfortable being in my house...on my bed."
There was an ackward silence as Tooru stared at the enormous, yet oh so comfortable bed. So, this is where he slept...Did he curl up in a little ball while he was in deep slumber? Or did he lay on his tummy with his arms and legs spread about? Or did lie straight and stiff, not moving a muscle? Why did she have such thoughts?
"Was it inappropriate of me?" Hatori asked, breaking the silence.
"Not at all! It was very nice of you really...I'm surprised that I got well so quickly, though."
Hatori cracked his knuckles absently, "hmm, yes. The medication I gave you is very strong, you see.
Silence enveloped them once more, yet it wasn't so strained as their usual silences had been. Tooru rubbed her face with her hands and stretched upon the bed, feeling drowsy yet again. Sighing contentedly she snuggled against the plush pillow and wandered off to sleep.
Tooru stirred in her sleep as she heard whispering voices echoing on the other side of her closed door. Yawning, she opened her eyes, squinting as the morning light greeted her warmly. Then her eyes widened.
"Oh no!" She whispered harshly to herself. "I can't believe I spent the night!"
She lept out of bed hurriedly, looking around frantically; trying to spot her belongings and not seeing them anywhere. She pulled down her skirt and brushed the evident wrinkles away as she walked out of the room. The voices in the house continued, though unrecognizable and vague. She tip-toed her way in the hallway, trying not to make a sound that would interrupt Hatori's meeting.
"What are you doing out of bed?" A strong voice came from behind.
Startled, she turned around and saw the stoical doctor towering over her meek body. She saw a glimmer of a smile touch his lips before he guestered her to follow him. Feeling naked,she pulled down her skirt a bit further and followed him into the spacious kitchen.
"I made breakfast. You should eat."
Tooru nodded as she accepted a muffin and warm coffee. She nibbled on it cheerfully, eyeing her fiance's strained jawbone while he washed a few dishes over the sink. Though he seemed in a much better mood than she had ever seen him, he also seemed very stressed. Perhaps this meeting of his was exhausting him...not to mention that he spent most of his night taking care of her.
"I'm sorry for the inconvience that I may have caused you, Mr. Souma. I truly am grateful for your care...I just wanted to let you know that."
Hatori looked away and nodded before walking out of the kitchen without another word. Struck at his abrupt depature, she felt that she might have offended him in some way and followed him into the dining room.
To her surprise, she found her aunt and uncle sitting stiffly on the sofa, obviously unhappy. When they sensed her presence, their frowns deepened and she realized her disheveled state. She combed her hair with her fingers nervously and tried to smile despite the fact that her heart was slamming hard against her chest.
"Good morning..." Tooru said quietly, thoroughly puzzled.
Her aunt's lips went thin and her eyes grew fierce as she stared at her niece. "How dare you, Tooru? How could you sleep in a man's house that you have not even wed?"
Tooru was speechless. It was a simple question, yet she could not utter a word.
"Don't you know that your uncle and I were worried over you?"
Tooru bowed her head and was silent, her mouth becoming dry. "A-auntie, I can explain...I fell ill and---"
"Don't interrupt me girl!" The older woman glowered over her niece, disgust filling her face. "I know it's common for couples to compensate their marriage before their marriage, but know this: I do not accept such behavior! It is an absolute disgrace to our family!"
"I didn't do anything!" Tooru defended herself, biting her lip at her sudden outburst. "I fell ill yesterday and Hato---er, Mr. Souma took care of me. That's all that happened, I swear."
Her aunt grunted as she angryily looked over to Hatori. He was standing next to Tooru, his face expressionless as he looked on. "Well? What do you have to say about this, Mr. Souma?"
Sighing, the man looked at the woman standing opposite of him and gave a faint, fake smile; giving Mrs. Honda the chills. "Just like your niece has stated, I merely took care of her. I spent the night in my study and left her alone in my bedroom in peace. Nothing happened."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, it is so."
There was a brief silence as the older woman thought everything over as she looked at the couple back and forth. "I apologize for making such rash accussations, Mr. Souma. But, you do realize that you must wed my niece immediately, don't you? I would rather die than have such rumors spread about my neighborhood---though false as they are."
Hatori was stunned, for maybe the first time in over a decade, and showed it.
Okay, sorry that it took me forever to update. Please forgive me! Hehe. I am currently writing the next chapter, in which it would be called "The Wedding"! Yes, Tooru and Hatori are finally going to get married:D Oh, and for those who want to know...that illness is known as "mohm sal" in Korean, but I have no idea how it is said in Japanese or in English XD; If anyone has any idea, let me know!
.Hae-Jang Lee.
Just call me Blue- Hee! Thank you :) I thought it would be interesting if boh Saki and Hatori met since they both have similar characteristics in a way.
Kitsunedemon- I suppose it is very much like the flu in a way, now that I think of it. Though I don't really know much about such things XD; And thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter as well :)
LinBean- What does TLC mean? XD;;; Hehe, I'm so clueless when it comes to such things. But thank you!
ShinakaStar- I'm sorry for the long update but please continue reading my story :D
flurescentpinkfairies- Aww thank you :)
Haritori- Bwahahaha. Yes, that cold is absolute hell
Slow Motion Runner- Thanks :D I thought I exaggerated her character a bit, but I'm so glad that I potrayed her well :)!
FurubaFever- Oh my! Your review REALLY flattered me! Thank you so much! It makes me so happy to see that you like it! I hope you like this chapter, though it's a bit dull XD;
Firewindgurl- Thank you, sweetie :D
Sakura Arielle- Awww you poor thing! Being sick sucks, doesn't it? And thank you for reading :D
MKane- Hmmm, I guess it does sound harsh but I never heard of it being fatal o o; Plus I'm so scared of hospitals hehe XD and thank you for your review!
Blackrose10307- Yeah, it does sound rather evil :P Hehe
Chiisana-inori- Aww thanks!
Supastar1013- I hope this chapter adds to your addiction :D
THANK YOU EVERYONE! You make me very happy!