Chapter Four

In the darkness he held her close through a layer of blankets: they'd discovered it was just enough to keep him from transforming and Momiji relished the chance to wrap his arms around her. They lay, spooned together their legs entwined, his face nuzzling her neck. Tsuki's chest rose and fell with slow, even breaths, but he remained alert, awash in her closeness, in the prolonged sensation of another human being pressed against his own still–human form. He never grew tired of it.

A knock at the door startled him and Tsuki stirred. "Schlaf, Liebling," he whispered and proceeded to disentangle himself and hastily pull on his clothes as the knocking sounded again, more insistent this time.

He was not certain who he'd thought to find when he swung open the door to his apartment, but Hatori was certainly among the last he'd have expected.

"Hatori?"

"Hello, Momiji. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No. I was just– Do you want to come in?"

Momiji's heart was racing like a hare pursued by a pack of hounds. There was no way that Hatori's sudden appearance at his doorstep could be anything but bad. "Would like you some tea?" he offered as Hatori followed him into the main area of his apartment. Momiji was thankful that none of Tsuki's clothes had ended up in his living room tonight; this was awkward enough without wayward women's garments to worry about.

"No thank you. I'll keep this brief," Hatori began without preamble. "You have a girlfriend." It was not a question.

"How do you know that?"

"Kana called the main house yesterday and I spoke to her. She said that she'd run into you a few weeks ago. She mentioned Tsuki. She said it looked serious."

Momiji could feel himself colouring. "I didn't reveal the family secret. She already knew about he zodiac curse."

"Then it's true. She's Katsuro's sister."

"Yes. You knew about Katsuro?"

"I remember him. It was a... shock when he died." Hatori shook his head. "Nonetheless that she's a Sohma changes nothing. Momiji, for her sake and your own you must break this off while you still can."

"Why? As long as Akito doesn't find out–"

"He already knows."

Momiji's heart clenched and he reached out to lean on the back of his livingroom couch for support. "How?" he asked, shooting Hatori an accusatory glare.

"As I said I was at the main house when I received the call. Akito might have overheard when I told Shigure. The point is that however he found out, Akito knows and he's summoned you– both of you– tomorrow."

Momiji gripped the back of the couch until his knuckles were white and his hands ached. He could still remember the pain of the blow when Akito had struck him the last time he'd defied him. Even so he'd been unable to protect Tohru. If it were Tsuki... He sucked in a deep breath as his insides clenched at the thought of anything happening to her. If Akito were to harm Tsuki and he were unable to protect her...

"You see, don't you?" Hatori whispered.

Momiji squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn't be happening. They'd been happy, so happy... Just a few hours ago he'd been making love to her, feeling, in spite of the space between them, that he was a part of her. And then holding her through the blankets, hearing her say she loved him and drift off to sleep in his arms– a moment of utter contentment. And now...

"But I can't just–"

"You must. You know how Akito will react. She doesn't know him. She doesn't know what she's risking."

"Yes I do."

Momiji spun on his heel at the sound of Tsuki's voice. Fully clothed now, she stood in the doorway of his bedroom, a sober air on her features in spite of her flushed cheeks. Momiji felt himself colour as well when Hatori turned to face her, eyebrows just slightly raised. "Ah. Hello, Miss Ame."

She looked from Momiji to Hatori. "I do know Akito. He's the reason my brother and my father are dead."

As she spoke Momiji resisted the urge to reach out to her; he could sense that she needed to say what she had to and that she could not were he to comfort her at this moment. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on her face and watched the tears welling up in her eyes, watched her force them back and speak.

"He summoned my brother that day. I don't know why. We all went together to the main house and then Katsuro went in alone to speak with Akito. I don't know what Akito said to him, but Katsuro came out running. He came out running and didn't stop– he looked like he would never stop. He tore past us, away from the main house, away from all the Sohma lots. My father took off after him, but Katsuro never stopped until–" She choked back a sob.

Hatori closed his eyes a moment, head bowed, and then in that perfectly calm tone of his , "A traffic accident is what I was told. Katsuro ran blindly into the street. Your father tried to pull him back, but instead they were both killed."

"I saw them, you know," whispered Tsuki. "My mother tried not to let me see, but I saw them lying on the asphalt." She bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks; she looked up as Momiji brushed his fingers across her cheeks. "He was only a child, only seven."

"Akito was only a child as well," said Hatori, brushing a stray lock of hair away from his good eye. "I'm certain he never intended for things to turn out as they did."

"No, of course not," retorted Tsuki. "It's just the curse." She glowered at Hatori. "It's convenient, isn't it, how no one has to take responsibility for their actions– because it's the curse."

"Tsuki," whispered Momiji, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. She ignored him.

"You'd have done it, wouldn't you?" She stared hard at Hatori who, as always, remained impassive. "If he had ordered you to erase our memories you'd have done it. You'd have let us forget about Katsuro if Akito had ordered you to."

"Yes. We are bound to Akito. All of us," said Hatori, looking pointedly in Momiji's direction. "We can't go against him. If we tried we'd likely end up like Katsuro."

She shook her head. "At least Katsuro was free, if only for a instant." It was after several moments' silence that she finally turned to Momiji. "I want to go with you."

Momiji gripped her by the shoulders, eyes locked with hers as she spoke. "He'll be furious and I won't be able to protect you. He could hurt you, Tsuki."

"I know." He could not miss the quaver in her voice as she said it. "But he could hurt you too, couldn't he?"

"I'm bound to him. You're not."

"I'm bound to you," she breathed.

Terror raced through his veins at the thought of her facing Akito, but mingled with something else, equally potent: joy. Joy so sharp that it throbbed through his entire body with every heartbeat. Still holding her by the shoulders, he began to tremble and he felt her grip his forearms, steadying him.

"If that's your final decision," said Hatori quietly, "then I suppose I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Hatori," Momiji called without looking away from Tsuki as he heard the elder Sohma's retreating footsteps. "Thank you. For being concerned."

Hatori paused a moment and then, without another word, he stepped into the hallway and shut the door softly behind him. The moment he was gone Tsuki began to cry in earnest. Momiji threw his arms around her, and, for an instant, held her close.

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Schlaf: Sleep

A/N: Based on a scan from a page of the Japanese manga, it seems like it may be possible for one of the zodiac to embrace someone of the opposite sex through a blanket without transforming. I'm basing the opening scene of this chapter on that scan from an issue yet unreleased in North America.