"Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice," said Hatori as he welcomed Kameko into his study.

"It's always a pleasure speaking with Shigure's friends," she replied, beaming. Before he could say anything she noticed the vase on his desk. "Ooh! Forget-me-not's!" She fingered the bright blue petals.

"You like them?"

Her smile softened. "I just like flowers."

When he remained silent, she turned, concern etched across her face. "Are you alright?" she asked. "You're not sick, are you?"

"No, nothing like that," he assured her.

They knelt on the soft cushions and he served her some tea. Kameko blew gently on the steaming liquid, the swirling of the tea trying to pull her thoughts into the same twisting pattern.

"I wanted to speak to you because…" Hatori faltered, and she looked up expectantly. He sounded so serious. Shouldn't he be happy? I must try to find a girl for him, she decided as she tried to sip her tea.

"You're happy with Shigure, aren't you?" he asked suddenly.

She started. The tea sloshed around in her cup. Perhaps Hatori wanted her to help him find someone after all. "Yes, very happy. Happier than I've been in my entire life, actually," she admitted. She smiled at the thought.

"Because there are some in the family…there are some who would not be happy to learn that Shigure – "

"To learn that Shigure is happy?" she finished. "Is that what this is about? Akito, and his," she struggled to find the word, "obsession with controlling everyone around him?"

"It's not just that," Hatori began, setting down his tea.

"Yes it is!" she cried, slamming down her own cup. "Akito is miserable, so he wants everyone around him to be miserable, and when they're not, when one person manages to escape, when one person manages to have a – "

"Don't say it," he snapped.

Kameko sank back into the depths of her cushion in shock. She looked at the rock garden just outside, the ceiling, the desk, the floor, anything that wasn't the man in front of her. She had been about to say "normal." What was wrong with her? The Sohmas were normal. But there was something about this house, this oppressive spirit that was slowly gripping her, choking her, twisting her mind.

"I'm sorry," he said. She could tell he meant it.

"As am I," she agreed. "It was good of you to warn me."

They sat there in silence for several minutes, the tea quickly growing cold, forgotten. No matter how hard she tried, she could not harness her thoughts.

"I heard you are visiting your family for New Year's," Hatori said. It sounded forced. But it was conversation.

"Yes," she said, latching onto it. "I can't wait to see them. I've missed them terribly." She smiled at the memory of the last letter she had received. "I have a new nephew. I suspect he'll grow up to be a bit of handful for his parents, my brother was always the plague of my family. Always getting into trouble."

Hatori nodded as if he cared about the history of her family. "What about you?" she asked. "Do you have any plans for the New Year?" Aside from the Sohma family party. The unspoken words carried so much weight and pain. When had she allowed the Sohma curse to drag her thoughts down like this?

"No, I don't have any plans," he answered. She knew what he didn't say, what he couldn't, without being disloyal to the family.

Then and there, Kameko decided to refuse to let this Akito ruin her life. She might not be able to control the family, but she could control herself. She and Shigure would lead their lives and be perfectly happy, without needing any help or permission from the Head of the Family. Shigure…Shigure would want it that way.

"You should come over this weekend," she suggested, instantly inspired. "We'll have a party of our own, just you, me, Shigure, and Ayame. Old friends having a few laughs, what do you say?" She smiled encouragingly.

Hatori frowned, and Kameko had just enough time to register the change when he placed his hand over her eyes.

The room flashed with a bright energy. A force, stronger than any push, reached her heart. Suddenly she was falling away, her fading eyes finding their last focus on the vase of blue forget-me-not's and then she forgot…