Neither Fruits Basket nor the Fruits Basket characters belong to me. They are the property of Natsuki Takaya.

All original characters and the plot are my property. Please read and enjoy.

Chapter 4 "I Am Very Pleased to See You"

Tohru waited patiently at the door of the restaurant for Toshi. He was often a few minutes late in picking her up but she didn't mind. She enjoyed the atmosphere of the peaceful night after the day's hectic schedule. She loved Koriyama and the people here but she wondered how long she would stay. Each time she thought she might stay she would get this undeniable urge to move south and to try again to find the missing pieces of her past. Morikawa-san had given her much freedom with his restaurant and then there was Toshi san...She was content to stay for a while longer in these circumstances…perhaps she had finally come to a place she could call home.

Toshi arrived out of breath and full of apologies for his late arrival. He had finished his paperwork later than usual so had taken the second bus instead of the first one he usually took and then there had been a flat tire.

Tohru took in his tousled hair which was sticking straight up from the many times he had run his hands through it while he was apologizing. She smiled up at him and his tumbling excuses ground to a halt. He was a very sweet and kind man and she liked him a lot.

"Shall we go Toshi-san?" Neither of the two were aware that their interaction was being watched by an interested party and probably would not have been disturbed if they had known.

Hatori stood out on his balcony smoking. He watched as a young man raced down the street and then stopped to speak with a young woman standing outside the restaurant. When the two began walking down the street together he wondered if that might be Tohru-san and if the man might be special to her. If she was and if he was that might explain why she was still here.

Tohru closed the door behind her after she said good night to Toshi. She knew he wanted to be invited in but Reikishi-san discouraged such actions at night. She really didn't mind. What she wanted right now was a cup of hot tea and a good night's sleep. Tomorrow was Tuesday and the day after was her day off. The first six months she was in Koriyama she had not taken any days off. Her first goal had been to prove herself to Morikawa-san and the second goal had been to be sure the assistant chef could handle things when she was not present. Her current assistant was doing a wonderful job of learning her recipes and she was certain that once she did leave, if she left, Harukia-san would do as good or better job as her replacement. Her eyes drifted shut. Tomorrow would be another good day with more memories to be made.

The next day Tohru arrived at the restaurant to find her boss there before her.

"Morikawa-san, good morning. You are here early today."

"Ah, Honda-san, yes I am. The nephew of a dear friend of mine called. He is in town for a week or so and wondered if we could meet. My schedule is so busy that I could only fit him in early this morning. He was very kind and agreed."

"Why that's wonderful! Have you ever met him before?"

"No, so I look forward to it. Honda-san, you are off tomorrow, right?"

"Yes Sir."

"May I ask you to do me a favor? I would very much like to show Sohma-san around but I have no time. Would you be willing to act as his guide in my place?

"Morikawa-san I am honored you would ask me to help you with such an important task. I only had shopping planned tomorrow and that doesn't take much time. I would like to help you out by guiding your guest."

"Then it's arranged. I will invite you to meet him after we have become acquainted."

"Very well, that will be fine. I must excuse myself and start the meal preparations."

"Of course Honda-san. I'll send for you later."

Hatori was prompt in arriving for his 7:00 am appointment with Tomokazu Morikawa. The older man greeted him politely.

"Sohma-san I am so happy you agreed to meet with me at such an inconvenient hour."

"It was not inconvenient at all Morikawa-san. I am an early riser. Uncle Shu asked me to convey his greetings. "

"Shu-san was always such a kind man. Tell me of him and of his family please."

Hatori spoke with Tomo Morikawa at length. He very much wished that he had invited either Shigure or Ayame to accompany him as he talked. He wasn't very good at this type of subterfuge and small talk was really not him. Finally he managed to steer the conversation in the direction he wanted by commenting on the restaurant and congratulating Morikawa on the increasing success of his business.

A smile creased Tomo's face at the compliments. "Sohma-san, I am quite pleased myself. I have to admit some of my success can be attributed to my head chef. I hired Miss Tohru Honda about two years ago and things have only gotten better. Would you be interested in meeting her?"

Hatori wanted to shout yes but remained very polite. "If Morikawa-san still has time for such introductions I would be honored to meet such a valued addition to your business."

"Please wait here Sohma-san and I will return."

Tohru turned as her boss entered the kitchen. "Honda-san, do you have a moment? I would like you to come greet the nephew of my old friend Shuichiro Sohma."

"Of course Morikawa-san. May I have a minute first?"

"Certainly. Come to my office when you are done."

Tohru checked with the staff to be sure all was well and then she checked her appearance in a mirror. She removed her apron and wiped a smudge of flour from her nose. She did not want to present a sloppy appearance to her employer's honored guest. She then proceeded to his office. Her light tap on the door was immediately answered. "Honda-san, please enter."

"Sohma-san this is my colleague Honda-san."

"I am very pleased to see you Honda-san. Morikawa-san speaks very highly of you." To say that he was pleased to meet her seemed a bit deceptive. After all, he had already met her although it had been ten years since the last time he saw her. He hoped his slight change of phrasing would be attributed to the part of Japan in which he was raised.

"Honda-san please say hello to my friend Hatori Sohma."

"Hello. How-do-you-do? I am very pleased to meet you."

Hatori offered her his chair and took the one closer to the wall. He felt a twinge of regret that she should greet him as a stranger when they had once know each other so well. They talked about the restaurant and other things. Once Tomo was certain the two could get on well together he executed his idea.

"Sohma-san, I am sorry but I do not have much time. I spoke with Honda-san earlier and asked her for her help. She is off tomorrow and since I can't show you around, she has agreed to do so for me. Is this an acceptable idea?"

"If Honda-san is agreeable, I will be happy to accept your offer. I'm a stranger here and would enjoy a guide who is familiar with the area." Hatori turned to the young woman. "Will this be okay with you?"

"Of course. I can meet you in the lobby of the hotel at 10:00 tomorrow morning. Okay?"

Hatori smiled warmly. "That will be perfect. Thank you."

Hatori then bade his host good bye and took his leave. Tohru returned to the kitchen thinking what a polite, kind man Hatori Sohma was. She looked forward to the next day and the opportunity to show him around Koriyama.