Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

Ah! Sorry for such the long wait, but writer's block was killing me on this story. But I worked all night to get this done, and now I think I'm better! So, here's the next part. Some fluff, more Rin, and lots of humor! (I hope...) Also, I noticed I made an error and made Jenna hug Hatori in a previous chapter without him transforming, when only Haru's supposed to do that. So I'll fix it in this one!

Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.


"I can't believe you knew Yuki!" Natsuki groaned, hanging her head two days later.

"Still haven't gotten over the shock, huh?" Jenna noticed absently, rifling through her papers in search of the right file – a task that sometimes seemed to last an eternity.

"Oh well – I have ano-"

""I said one!" Jenna interrupted sharply, wincing slightly as she turned quickly to face her coworker. "And it happened to be Yuki. But that was your only chance, Natsuki! I don't want to date, understand?"

"Wow, what spit in your miso?" the other woman asked in surprise, taken aback by Jenna's suddenly-sharp tone. "Okay, okay, no more blind dates, I promise. Calm down."

"Thank you," she said curtly, turning back to her papers. She regretted – a little – snapping at the persistent woman, but Jenna wasn't in the mood to deal with any of her ex-dates, especially with the pain in her shoulder blade still. "I'll have to ask Hatori," she muttered, rolling her shoulders a bit.

"Hatori? Who's that?" Natsuki asked suspiciously.

"The doctor who called a while ago, remember? He's an old friend," Jenna informed her coolly, before rubbing her temple. "Man, what's the matter with me?" Sighing, she reached for the phone and began to dial the Dragon's number, while Natsuki eyed her curiously, wondering what was the matter with her friend.


"It's not that time of month, is it?" Hatori asked her calmly, and she gaped at him before recovering herself.

"Uh…no, trust me," she managed, and he looked up at her briefly.

"I'm a doctor."

"I know! You just surprised me," Jenna admitted, having arranged a meeting with the Sohma at her house after work. "I've just been cranky for the past two days, and my shoulder really hurts."

"Well, that's normal," he informed her, but pressed his cool palm against her forehead. "Hmm…you don't seem to have a fever. How's your appetite?"

"Eh," she shrugged her good shoulder.

"You haven't slept with anyone?"

"What?" she shrieked, surprising the collected Dragon. "Hatori!"

"Just checking," he said, resuming his checkup. "Headaches? Scratchy throat – sore muscles?"

"Check, no, and yes," she nodded, and he peered at her intently. "What?"

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Huh?" Jenna blinked at him in surprise, and faltered under his steady gaze. "Uh…well…I've been seeing things again," she admitted, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Not like before," she added hastily, "But things out of the corner of my eye, and I sense more things."

"I see," he mused, putting away his equipment. "So, it's related to your curse. I've been wondering – you've been able to hug Hatsuharu without his transforming, except when he willed himself too in the park, ever since the day your curse was apparently broken."

"And?"

"Well, I hugged you when you came to the banquet, remember?" Hatori prodded, and a look of realization came over her face. "But that was the only time – ever since then, only Hatsuharu doesn't transform with you. He hugged Tohru, though, and he almost stampeded over Kyo."

"Really?" Jenna crossed her arms in thought, frowning a little. "I don't understand. Why could I hug you that one time?"

"Akito is the core of our curse," the Dragon continued calmly. "Perhaps as he nears death its effect is faltering. But that doesn't explain Hatsuharu's situation."

"No," she agreed, shaking her head. "But…I heard Shigure's voice in my head…that day. He said the curses cancelled each other out."

"Interesting," Hatori thought. "Perhaps your curse, as ours, is in our bloodlines. If a stronger bond than the ones that originally bind us could be created, it might be conceivable that they would be broken. But why your curse is coming back…whatever happened to stop it is weakening. If you don't figure out why, I think it's probable that it will return as it was before."

"I don't want to deal with that," she said quietly, her face dropping. Hatori glanced at her, and rested his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"If you continue feeling like this, I can give you something for the headaches," he told her, removing his hand and heading toward the door. "You should try giving Hatsuharu a call, by the way. He's pretty concerned about you."

"I will," she promised, walking the doctor to the door. "Thanks, Hatori – for everything."

"Call if you need anything," he replied, striding to his car and getting in. Jenna waved as he drove off, and turned to close the door when she heard someone yelling her name.

"Tohru?"

"Oh, Jenna, I was hoping you'd be home, and when I saw Hatori leaving…" Tohru panted, reaching the few steps.

"Want a glass of water or something?" Jenna asked, leading Tohru into the house.

"If it's not a problem," she nodded, sitting down. "I just came to see how you were doing – I came from work."

"You didn't have to do that!" the other girl protested, handing the glass to Tohru. "I'm fine – a little under the weather, but Hatori doesn't think it's anything serious with my health."

"That's good," Tohru smiled, catching her breath. "Hatsuharu was asking about you yesterday – he stopped by the store to see me."

"Really?" Jenna asked in surprise, and Tohru nodded.

"Really! Did you two fight or something?" she gazed at Jenna, who sighed. After Jenna briefly related the scene from the other night, Tohru nodded understandingly. "They're both worried about you, that's all. They tried to get me to move out too, you know. But I wasn't about to leave. All you have to do is stick to your guns!"

"Thanks for the advice," Jenna grinned, laughing at Tohru's sudden determined expression. "Know how I can call up Haru?"

"Oh, I can tell him to stop by later, if you want!" Tohru volunteered. "He's coming over for dinner, I think. He could come over here afterward."

"I…guess that's okay," she agreed hesitantly. "Yeah, sure, please do," she nodded firmly, exchanging a grin with the other girl. "Thanks, Tohru!"

"No problem," she smiled happily, recalling how anxious the Ox had been the previous day.


"Hey," Haru said calmly, as Jenna opened the door to let him in later that night. "Tohru told me I could stop by tonight?"

"Yeah – she dropped by after work," Jenna nodded, closing the door behind him and following him into the living room. "You ate there, right? I don't really have much here…"

"No, I ate," he said. An awkward silence followed for a bit until Haru sighed and turned to face her. "Jenna – I'm sorry about the other night," he said, staring at the wall above her. "I wasn't really thinking…What?"

"I was just going to apologize too," she admitted, having realized he was referring to the look on her face. "That's all."

"Well?" he prodded, after a few more moments of silence.

"Well what?" she repeated in confusion, and he eyed her.

"I thought you were going to apologize!"

"Well, you already did, so I didn't think I had to," she shrugged a little, grinning at the Ox.

"Very funny," he muttered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"I'll get something to drink – wait here a sec," she said, moving to go past him into the kitchen. To her surprise, his hand shot out and grabbed her arm, whirling her back around to face him. "Haru? You're…not Black, are you?"

"Nope," he shook his head, and she sighed in relief. Suddenly, he bent his head and kissed her deeply, causing her to catch her breath in surprise. He straightened after a moment in satisfaction, smirking at her as she gaped up at him.

"Ha-Haru…what the…?"

"I haven't done it when I'm normal, have I?" he asked innocently, and she blinked at him. "Not bad, though…"

"Haru!" she screeched in embarrassment, and abruptly raced to the kitchen. Gazing after her calmly, his eyes revealed depths yet unknown to others inside the Ox, and he slouched into a chair with a grin. "Nope – not bad."


"What's with you today?" Natsuki asked, noticing her coworker's cheerful disposition. "You certainly seem to be in a better mood. That doctor-friend of yours give you some pills or something? Remind me to thank him."

"Very funny, Natsuki," Jenna retorted, her voice lacking any heat. "No, I just cleared up some things between a friend."

"That Couch-guy?" she asked suspiciously, and laughed triumphantly when Jenna paused in her work. "A-ha! I knew it! You're in love with him!"

"I'm not!"

"You are too!"

"I'm not!"

"How long have you known him?" Natsuki pressed abruptly, surprising Jenna into an answer.

"F-four years ago," she stammered in surprise, and then slapped herself when she realized she had answered. "Damn…"

"That long?" she repeated in amazement. "Good gosh, woman! What's wrong with you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jenna demanded hotly, and Natsuki grinned.

"Well, you didn't see what came for you, did you?" she pointed out, gesturing to her desk. The brunette whirled around to inspect her desk, and her gray eyes widened when she saw a bento box sitting on it, with a cow sticker on the front. "H-he…" she gasped, trying not to laugh very loudly. "That's Haru for you," she shook her head, slumping into her chair, still repressing her giggles.

"Haru?"

"Hatsuharu," Jenna said, sighing with the realization there was no way to keep her friend off her back now. "He's the doctor's cousin – and Yuki's, too."

"Oh my god!" Natsuki screeched, and Jenna covered her ears. "If he looks anything like Yuki, he must be a real hottie! I'm surprised you haven't gotten engaged yet!"

"Excuse me?" she asked, her voice suddenly icy. "Natsuki, that's not funny."

"I didn't mean it to be funny," she retorted, a faltering a little at the sudden change in the atmosphere. "Did someone just turn the air conditioning down…?"

"I've got work to do," Jenna said, moving the lunch aside and beginning her daily routine.

"What's your problem with marriage?" Natsuki muttered, returning to her own work.

"Marrying Haru…I don't think so! Especially when I don't even know what's happening with my curse…wait, did I just say that?"


"How's your shoulder?"

"Ack!" she cried, jumping into the air when a voice came from behind her. Turning around she saw it was Haru and relaxed, her hand over her heart. "Good gosh, don't do that to me! And it's fine, thanks," she added, peering at him as he moved to her side. "What're you doing here?"

"I figured I'd walk you home from work, that's all," he shrugged, and she eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"Nothing, I guess," she shrugged, and impulsively looped her arm through his as they began to walk. "What?" she repeated with a grin. "Thanks for the lunch, by the way. It was really good."

"Tohru cooked it for me."

"Really? I'll have to thank her, then," Jenna said thoughtfully, and they continued to stride down the street, arms intertwined. "Hey, Haru…no one's around, right?"

"No…" he said hesitantly, trying to figure out what she was up to as she put her bag down. He blinked in surprise when she suddenly threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. "Can't…breath…"

"Oh, sorry!" she blinked, and instantly loosened her grip. "I just wanted to see if you'd transform…" she began apologetically, before realizing how close his eyes were to hers. Dropping back to her heels she pulled her arms from him and picked her bag back up, beginning to walk again. "Sorry – it's just, the curse is coming back," she told him quietly, and he looked at her curiously.

"Hatori mentioned something about that," he said, trying to remember. "Hmm…well, something about a bond?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "But I'm not sure I really understand it, to be honest."

"Me neither," he shrugged, and casually draped his arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry, I won't let any goblins and spookies get you," he said teasingly, and she missed the serious undertone in his voice.

"My hero," she grinned, elbowing him playfully. "By the way, I'm impressed you managed to make to my office without getting lost."

"I took a taxi," he admitted, and looked down at her, eyes wide, as she began to laugh. Shrugging with a grin, he almost imperceptibly tightened his arm around her and continued walking, while the figure in the shadows went unnoticed by a laughing Jenna.


"Thanks for walking me home," she said, as she unlocked her door.

"No problem," he shrugged. "Can I stay for dinner? I'm hungry."

"I guess, su-" Jenna stopped mid-word and froze as the door swung open, revealing a ransacked house. "What the hell happened?" she demanded, striding in angrily. "Who the hell got into my house?" she continued, kicking her way through her mess. Haru pointedly ignored the lace bra he found himself standing on and looked around curiously, narrowing his eyes at the mess as Jenna raced to her room. "My room!" she cried, and he headed toward the room after a moment's hesitation. "I'm so going to kick someone's ass," she growled, clenching her fist. Her mattress had been shredded, as well as her pillows, and the shades were hanging onto the floor.

"Is anything taken?" he asked, trying to get her organized.

"I don't think so…" she trailed off, wandering around the room to check. "No," she reported a few minutes later. "Nothing at all – it's just all trashed. When I find out who did this…"

"Well, you can't stay here tonight," Haru pointed out. "Why don't you stay the night with Tohru, and we'll file a report in the morning? We can lock it up – no one's gonna come in after this mess, trust me."

"I can't just leave all my stuff here!" she protested, and then sighed. "Fine, I'll grab some clothes," she agreed dejectedly, and began to grab some of the items scattered around the room. Haru calmly made his exit without her noticing and slipped out of the house after making sure she was still occupied. He headed across the street, where someone was waiting for him in the trees.


"This was really low," he said calmly, gazing emotionlessly at the slender figure.

"She was warned to stay away from the Sohma," Rin spat.

"Is that why you trashed her house? Or did Akito order you to?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Shut the hell up, bastard," she retorted. "I overheard Akito mentioning she lived near here, and I decided to take matters into my own hands. If you bring her to that woman's house, I'll make sure she doesn't come out in one piece."

"Did you ever consider why Akito was talking about where Jenna lives?" Haru pointed out, but decided not to try to point out the obvious to the stubborn Horse. "Have it your way, Rin. But you'll have to deal with me if you want to mess with Jenna. And stay away from Tohru as well – I won't bring Jenna there."

"You should stay the hell away from her, Haru," Rin told him coldly. "It's your fault she has to go through this."

"Maybe so, but I'm not manipulating anyone," he informed her. "Blame Akito for what he's done. Jenna hasn't done anything."

"Fuck off," Rin hissed, before racing off.

"Haru!" Jenna called, and he turned around to see her standing in the doorway. "What are you doing outside?" she asked, as he headed toward her.

"Just checking around," he shrugged, and noticed her bag. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"We're not going to Tohru's, by the way," he told her, as they began to walk after she had locked the house up.

"Huh? Why not?" she asked in surprise.

"I think she went to visit her grandpa this weekend," he lied quickly, "I'll take you to Hatori's – he won't mind. He has a house outside the main house, so it'll be fine, don't worry. I can stay there too, if you want, and take you to the station in the morning."

"I don't want to put you guys through all this trouble…" she began to protest, but Haru shook his head.

"It's not, really. It's a weekend, anyway. Not like I have anything else to do."

"If you're sure…"

"Since when do you think I'm sure?" he asked, and then stopped in his tracks. "Uh…you don't happen to remember which way I took last time to Hatori's, do you?"

"Haru!"


Shorter than some, I know, but I REALLY wanted to get this up! Please review!