By the time they reached their destination, Hatori found his spouse sleeping peacefully beside him. Sighing, Hatori had no choice but to wake her up. Closing his door behind him, he walked around the car and opened the passenger door that contained his companion. Bending over, he placed his hand on her bare shoulder and gently pushed her. When no response was presented he pushed her again. Biting back the urge to yell and shake her awake, he reached over her lap and unhooked her seatbelt.

"Ms. Honda?" Hatori began gently, poking her shoulders. "We're here."

The girl stirred in her sleep, blinking her eyes slowly as her vision began to clear and focus. Moaning to herself, she stumbled out of the car with Hatori's hand steadying her arm. Once they were walking on the pavement leading to his home she stopped and took off her heels, carrying them in one hand as she wobbled her way to the front door.

"I'm so tired," she murmured softly, unaware that she was inside the house and laying limply on the couch.

When Hatori saw that she was drifting back to sleep again, he lifted her from the couch and placed her firmly on the ground. She looked up at him in bewilderment for a moment until realization began to set in.

"Oh my goodness!" She whispered sharply. "I'm at your house!"

"Well, of course," Hatori replied uncomfortably.

They looked at each other in silence for a long while before Tooru burst into a fit of giggles. Hatori looked at her puzzlingly for he saw nothing humorous about the situation.

"I think you should avoid alcohol from now on," he said after she was done laughing.

"But, I didn't drink alcohol. I drank a rare and bizarre fruit juice from the islands of Crete wherever that may be," Tooru responded innocently before laughing at her blandish joke. However, exhaustion got the best of her and she steadied herself against the wall.

"Come, you must be worn out. You'll sleep in my bedroom for now and in the mean time I'll sleep in my study until I can arrange your own room."

Sobering up a bit, Tooru looked at him uneasily. "Are you sure that's all right, Mr. Souma? I don't wish to be an inconvenience to you…"

He nodded curtly to her before leading her into his bedroom. Once she saw the large and plush bed, she ignored everything around her; the man standing close to her side, the foreign masculinity that characterized the room and everything in between

She plopped herself onto the bed and would have drifted to her much needed sleep if Hatori hadn't stopped her.

"Don't tell me you're going to be sleeping in your gown?" Hatori questioned her in surprise.

Tooru closed her eyes and thought she told him she was going to change. Yet when she found herself being woken up she realized that she hadn't said a word. Groaning, she willed herself to get up and look for her luggage that had been delivered to his house that morning. They were near his closet but she couldn't figure out which baggage contained the items that she needed.

When it became apparent that she was beyond exhaustion, Hatori handed her one of his own shirts and told her to wear that instead.

After thanking him she entered the restroom to wash her face and change. She felt somewhat rejuvenated as the fresh cold water hit her face, but there was one problem: she couldn't unzip herself. Despite her worn out drunken state, she couldn't bring herself to ask Hatori to unzip her. Her head ached and she was tired and the thought of waiting in the bathroom for all eternity because she didn't want her own husband to unzip her gown began to sound ridiculous to her.

"Um, Mr. Souma…" She whispered as she peeked through her door. "I need some help…"

Hatori walked over to the door, slowly getting irritated as their morning drew on. "What is it that you need?"

"I can't, um, unzip myself?"

Surprised, he blurted out "why not?"

"Because I'm not flexible enough to reach the zipper I'm afraid," Tooru replied, embarrassed and ashamed.

"All right. Turn around," he responded with his jaws clenched.

Obeying, she turned her back to him as her shoulders stiffened. Hatori eyed her exquisitely shaped shoulder blades tense before him and felt his face grow warm. Clearing his throat, he unzipped her gown quickly but not before seeing her clasped laced bra. Blushing furiously at the image before him, he strode out the door and into his own study.

Unaware of his embarrassment, Tooru stepped out of her wedding dress; taking down her tiara and pins that held up her hair. After trying to comb the tangled mess enriched with hairspray, she gave up and decided it best to take a shower.

After a soothing shower, she slipped into Hatori's shirt that reached just below her knees. Her mind began to focus as she walked out the restroom and laid her wedding gown on a near by chair. With it she tossed her stockings, garter belt, and the rest of her lingerie.

As she settled herself onto the lush king sized bed she found that she was no longer tired. It must have been well past four in the morning and yet she was wide awake.

So…I did it. I wonder how life will be like after tonight. Will it stay the same? Or will it change drastically? What does the future hold for me?

Her eyes widened as she laid there, allowing herself to drown in her own haunting thoughts. It was frightening to think that her future held such uncertainty. Especially when it involved her marriage with a man she barely knew and loved. She unconsciously wiped the tears that came, despising them because the Souma family had shown nothing but kindness to her.

Am I being ungrateful? Tooru sighed to herself as she tried to think optimistically. Think positive, think positive, think positive…

Well, Hatori did look exceptionally handsome today, she thought. Speaking of Hatori! Did she ever thank him properly for all he's done for her?Flinging the covers off of her, she leapt out of bed as she softly scolded herself for not expressing gratitude to him earlier.

Striding out of the bedroom, she quietly made her way to the door of his study. Gulping, she knocked lightly on his door-- half hoping that he wouldn't respond to it.

Hatori opened the door to find a small waif-like girl looking up at him with damp hair and dressed in a loose fitting shirt. Her captivating wedding gowns were nothing compared to the sight he was witnessing at that moment. Letting out a gruff cough, he raised an eyebrow at her; waiting.

"Um, I apologize if I had disturbed you. I was unaware that you were asleep… I just, ah, wanted to thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Souma."

He nodded as he looked at her sternly with his piercing hazel eyes, making her feel ill at ease.

"Can't sleep?" He finally asked.

"Um, yes…it's rather difficult for me to sleep."

You're not the only one, Hatori thought solemnly to himself.

"Well then, I wish you good night, sir."

"Night."

Tooru could hear soft footsteps roaming around the home. Muffled banging could be heard from a distance and voices of men became evident. She sat up in bed quickly only to find the most unwelcoming head ache. Groaning miserably to herself, she collapsed on the bed and thrust her pillow over her face.

The noises continued as they seemed to be getting louder and her head began to pound against her skull. Much to her dismay however, she heard a door slam rather piercingly close by and she forced herself to look at the intruder.

"My, my! Do you mean to tell me that my little daughter has spent the entire afternoon in bed?"

Tooru smiled weakly at her mother-in-law. "Is it afternoon already? I'm sorry…it's just that I have such a horrible head ache."

"Hmm, yes, it seems to me like it's a hang over. Well, don't fret, dear, I'll fetch Hatori. No? Why, he has the perfect cure for hangovers!"

Ignoring Tooru's objections, Mrs. Souma came back only moments later with Hatori. He looked worn and agitated as he brushed past his mother to have a look at his wife.

"I'm so sorry to trouble you Mr. Sou-"

"No need to apologize," came his brisk reply.

Out of habit, he brought his hand to feel the warmth of her face; first placing it upon her forehead, then against her flushed cheeks. He gently held her small wrist and felt her pulse and, rather nervously, felt the pulse at her neck.

As he was giving her a physical, he blindly grabbed a near by chair and placed himself upon it, only to find that he was sitting on top of what appeared to be clothes. Pulling the materials from under him, he noticed that they weren't just clothes, but clothes that belonged to a woman-- but not just any woman, either. Blushing furiously, he simply couldn't tear his eyes away from the piece of clothing that he was holding with his trembling finger.

"Ah! I see you've spotted my wedding gift to your wife. How did you like it? She looked lovely in it didn't she?"

Tooru was beyond speechless as she watched in petrified horror her husband-- whom she barely knew-- holding her discarded lingerie from the night before. Hatori placed the skimpy attire back, silently, and stormed out of the room.

Mrs. Souma chuckled softly, noting the distressed look on her daughter-in-law's face. "So, I see that your wedding night was spent…alone?"

Flushing furiously, Tooru slipped deeper into her covers-- hoping that the woman standing before her wouldn't press any further. As she lay there, hiding from the outside world and engulfed in her own inner thoughts, she failed to hear faint footsteps returning to her bed side.

"Ms. Honda?" A voice called out to her, quietly.

"Did I miss something? Did she not wed you last night? Is she to remain 'Ms. Honda' until her dying day?"

Ignoring his mother, Hatori uncovered the concealed girl, looking at her almost fiercely. Startled by his expression, Tooru sled out of her hiding place and sat upright despite the slight twinge that stung her aching head.

"Drink this," Hatori said as he thrust a ceramic mug into her hands.

She obeyed as she fought to keep the warm liquid from coming up. It was foul and bitter, however, and after two gulps she decided best to leave the rest untouched less she gag out of disgust.

"All of it."

Feeling like a helpless child she meekly forced herself to drink the rest of the acidic contents and couldn't help but shudder involuntarily when the substance finally became no more.

Without a word or a glance Hatori quickly grabbed the mug from her hands and walked out the door once again, leaving Tooru and Mrs. Souma alone.

"Hmmm, it seems like he's in a sour mood," his mother said pensively. "Well, enough of that. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine now," Tooru answered cheerfully, almost quivering from the disgusting, syrupy taste that lingered on her tongue. She felt nauseous from his little antidote and began to wonder if he gave her the right remedy.

"I'm glad of it. Anyway, I suppose you should rest a while longer while I settle some matters with the men."

"Men?"

"Oh? Didn't Hatori tell you? Well, we're in the process of clearing out his guest room-- not that it was much of a guest room. In fact, I wouldn't even consider it a guestroom when it's so bare and empty…just a bunch of books piled on top of another. Such a ghastly room in my opinion."

Tooru nodded, slightly confused as Mrs. Souma rambled on.

"Well, that is to say, it's not as ghastly as before since your dear husband took it upon himself to arrange it into your bedroom. I say it will come out rather nicely once the floors are repaired and the walls are freshly painted. I asked why he had to make a second bedroom when you two could just share one. Not to mention that he could turn it into a nursery…you know, just in case. Oh, but that infuriated him and he scolded me for being 'meddlesome' and 'improper'. Hah! He had the nerve to say that to his own mother! What an ungrateful little prat."

Tooru let a small smile slip as she watched her auntie go off on a tangent. So, that was the reason why she had heard roaming footsteps and banging several minutes ago. She felt considerably touched by Hatori's kindness to assemble her own bedroom.

"Well, I best be off! I need to talk to the men and I need to check my order for your bed frame. And what a beautiful bed frame it is! I had to tackle the thing with this ferocious fiend of a woman. Hah! But, my determination prevailed at the end," Mrs. Souma declared as she headed towards the door. "Now, rest!"

When the door finally closed Tooru slumped back into her bed, aware that her head ache was diminishing and noting how jubilant her mother-in-law was that morning…or afternoon. Unable to rest any longer, though, she slowly got up from the bed, washed up, and began to organize her belongings.

Hatori entered the bedroom quietly as he carried a small tray. His room had always been quite murky and bleak and yet as he stood there for a moment, he had to force himself to adjust to the light that had enveloped his space. His bed was made neatly without a crease visible and his scattered belongings were nowhere to be found. The infamous chair stood erectly near by, stripped from the embarrassing contents that it once contained and was replaced , instead, with a small pillow. He didn't even know he had owned that throw cushion and his brows furrowed with confusion.

His gaze finally settled across the room, noticing that his heavy drapes were pushed to the side, allowing vivid sunbeams to contrast with its shadows. And beside it stood a young woman gazing out into the landscape.

"I see you're up."

Tooru jumped, startled by the interruption, and raised her hand to clutch her beating heart. "Y-you startled me."

"I brought you some gyouza."

"Thank you," Tooru said thankfully.

She watched him set the tray on his night stand as he turned to leave the room. "Oh! Um, Mr. Souma?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"I believe you have already stated your gratitude." His tone was sharp.

"I-I'm sorry," Tooru replied nervously, bowing as she did so. "I just can't thank you enough for all you have done for me. I must have been such a wreck last night and I feel entirely indebted to you for not only aiding me once, but twice. On top of that, your mother just mentioned that you were, ah, arranging my own room and I truly cannot express how grateful I am for your consideration."

Hatori said nothing though he gave a slight nod in acknowledgement but not before a flash of annoyance crossed in his eyes. And with that, he walked out of the room.

Tooru continued to stare at the door long after he was gone and she felt a surge of puzzlement arise. For some reason she felt as though he was a different man. He had always been reserved and somewhat detached but nonetheless polite. She had thought that they were both getting along quite splendidly yet it seemed as though a full moon had passed and he became aloof and almost unfriendly. She shook her head, You're thinking too much.

She sat down finally, bringing her tray onto her lap and began to nibble at the warm dumplings. As she sat there she began to contemplate her future…only to find herself in a labyrinth of obscurity.

An update! Well, for those of you who don't know, I gave birth to a baby girl on May 17th. She's a preemie but she's quite healthy. I named her Madison…I mean, isn't that a lovely name? lol, anyway I'm extremely happy and I want to thank every single one of you! Your comments had really brightened up my mood!

.Hae-jang Lee.

Joflower - Thank you so much : ) I'm glad that I didn't abandon it as well so hopefully it'll all end soon lol. I hope you did well on your English assignment! -worries-

ChildlikeEmpress - Thanks! I think I sent a reply to your question but if you haven't received it then I would be more than happy to explain : )

Jaz7 - I'm glad you liked it : ) And thank you.

Juliagulia1017 - Haha! I guess konglish is kinda humorous. Like "soon doo boo chigae" xD I love saying that.

Anime-punkass-luvr - Sorry, but Tooru isn't going to divorce Hatori…I know a lot of people like the pairing of Kyo x Tooru but I thought it would be an interesting twist to leave it as a Toriru since it's an AU. Hope you understand : )

Kitsunedemon ­- Thank you : ) School has been sooo hectic but I'm glad that I have kept up with my work. It's so hard to raise a child and have to deal with high school. I'll be going onto my junior year soon but I'm thinking of graduating early … but yeah, I'm so sorry for ruining your expectations! Lol, there is, like, no fluff whatsoever in this chapter but I assure you that Hatori has his reasons : )

Placid Snowflake - You have made my day yet again! Lol and thank you for your comments. I have moved on and I feel so completely happy and content right now. Stressed…yes, but content nonetheless : )

Kyosgirl 88 - I'm glad you liked the story : )!

Incognito5 - Thank you, Claudia. Your comment on my pregnancy somehow motivated me and cheered me up at the time so I have to say thank you…so very much.

SarahBrightEyes - Thanks : )

Say wha - I forgive you : ) I pray that you'll become more open minded in time.

-Forlorn Sonata- - Wow! I love your pen name : ) It's lovely! And thank you !

Personwithnoname­ - Awww thanks / Yeah, I really found it rude of him/her but it's all good hehe.

NANA - Wow, really? Thank you for pointing that out! I have wanted to improve my writing skills so I'm glad that you noticed -blushes-

N. James­ - Heeee thanks! Unfortunately there wasn't any sort of lovey-doveyness in this chapter but I assure you that there will be fluff in later chapters : ) Thank you so much!

Haritori - -hugs back- Thanks you ; ) The dress I had described for her happens to be my dream wedding dress, lol. I'm such a dork! But thank you SO much!

Miss Shadow Prowl - Eeee! I'm sorry if I update late (I seem to get in the habit of it) but I hope you'll understand. Hehe.