"Hey." Hatori entered my kitchen. I turned to him. "Hey." He was dressed again, a towel still in his hand to dry his hair. Feeling suddenly shy and not knowing what to say, I pointed to the tea pot. "I made us tea." "Great." Hatori stepped beside me. He must have been just as self-conscious as me.

I smiled, as I looked at him. "Your hair", I said, as I touched it affectionately. "It's still wet." "Oh, yes …" Hatori put a hand to his head.

"Wait", I said, stepping forward. "Let me …"

I gently took the towel from him. We went into the living room, where Hatori sat on the carpet, so that I could reach his head. It was fun, feeling his soft black hair, running through my hands. I think I took more time to dry Hatori's hair, than I actually had to.

"So, are you feeling okay?", I asked him. Maybe the transformation into a seahorse had been painful. "I'm fine", Hatori assured me. "But", he added, if you would have put a real seahorse into a bathtub with warm water, you would have killed it … I think."

"I'm sorry", I said, smiling apologetically. "But I was panicking, so I went into problem-solving mode. And this was the only idea I could come up with." "It's okay." Hatori was looking down, avoiding my eyes.

"So, you saw it", he said. I blushed. "No, no!", I assured him quickly, "I didn't see anything, I swear!" Hatori smiled shortly at my stammering. "I ment the seahorse", he replied. "Oh that." I paused for a second. "Yes, I saw that."

My hand with the towel was still on Hatori's head, so that I couldn't see his face. I could tell by the way that he was squirming uncomfortably that he was embarrassed. "But this is nothing to be ashamed of!", I assured him. "Actually, I think it's cute.", I added truthfully.

Hatori didn't reply. "Don't you want to know why?", he asked, still not looking at me. "Why I had turned into a seahorse?" I stopped. "Don't you think it's … strange?" Well, to this, I certainly had a answer!

"Not at all!", I replied, completely honest. "Of course I was surprised, but … it wasn't anything bad!" I allowed myself a little grin. "Not that it wouldn't be interesting to know, why my boyfriend suddenly is a seahorse."

I had to wait a few seconds for Hatori's response.

"It is a curse", he answered slowly. I looked up. "My family and I, or better said, twelve of my other family members and I, are under a curse", Hatori continued. "Everytime we are hugged by a person of the opposite sex or our body is under a great deal of stress, each of us turn into an animal of the Chinese zodiac. I am the dragon but …" he paused and I could see him blush a little. "For some reasons, I only turn into a seahorse."

I listened silently. So this was it … a curse … Well, I guess it made sense. It would explain why Hatori always seemed so distant … Why he was still so close to his family … Why his eyes were so sad …

"So this is the reason, why you never hold me", I said, stroking his hair a bit. Hatori clenched his fists.

"You're afraid. Afraid of what could happen, when somebody finds out …", I realised.

"So you never let anyone in … You shut other people out of your life … Me …"

I swallowed. "But there is one thing you should know", I went on.

"I don't care about this curse. I am glad to be here with you, Hatori. I am glad to have met you …"

I let my head sink onto his, a tear escaping my eyes. "I am glad to have fallen in love with you."

Hatori didn't respond. I was thinking of what to say to convince him that I was saying the truth, as I saw tears, falling from his cheeks to the ground. Hatori was crying …

"Oh my …" I could have slapped myself. "I am sorry!", I said quickly, trying to comfort him. "Did I say something wrong? I didn't want to make you cry!"

The tears just kept falling. It was as if a dam had broken … I got the feeling that these tears had waited for a long time to come out.

"Please …", I said, running my hands through his hair. I couldn't bear to see Hatori cry! Until I heard him laugh.

"Don't apologise", he said, laughing between his sobs. "It's okay. In fact, it never had been better." And then, he finally looked up, me directly in the eyes. "I thank you, Kari", he said, tears still running down his cheeks. "For everything you did … For everything you said. I am so grateful to have met you."

"Anytime", I said. Now I was laughing too. It was all too much … For a whole minute, we just sat there and laughed.

Gently, I wiped away the tears from Hatori's face. "I love you, Hatori Soma", I said. "Since the moment I saw you …" He took my hand. "I love you too, Kari", he replied, his voice still shaky. My heart jumped as he said this. Hatori loved me …

He squeezed my hand. "You have no idea, how much I wish I could hug you right now", he said. I smiled, as I moved closer to him. "Close your eyes", I whispered. Hatori followed me.

Lovingly, I stroke his cheek. "I will always be by your side", I said softly. "I will shelter you, as good as I can. This, I promise to you, Hatori."

I heard him sigh happily, as he felt the warmth of my hand on his cheek. I could tell that it was good for him to hear this …

It has gone dark by now. I hadn't realised how late it was, until I looked out of the window. Hatori followed my eyes. "I, I should probably go now", he said. I was still holding his hand. "I wish you would stay", I whispered. I didn't want him to go. Not now. Not after all that had happened today …

Hatori's eyes met mine. "Me too", he said, his eyes flickering.

Affectionately, he cupped my face into his hands, bringing me closer to him. "There is so much, I want to tell you, Kari …" He paused. "So much, you have to understand … If I –" "Sshh …" I silenced him gently, by putting a finger to his lips.

"We have time for that tomorrow", I told him softly. "Just for once, forget the curse. Even, if it is only for tonight. Let us pretend, the world would stand still … You and me …" Hatori smiled, his eyes shimmering. "Yes …"

Our faces were now merely inches apart. We were about to kiss, when I suddenly stopped. "Wait", I said, grinning shily. "Is this even possible … I mean, we …" Hatori chuckled. "As long as you don't hug me, we can do everything we want", he replied. I giggled. "Well, this could get interesting then …" Hatori looked shocked. "Kari!", he said, blushing. I laughed. "I was just joking!", I said, as I put my hand around his neck, to pull him closer. "You're so cute …"

And we kissed, on the carpet in my living room. Hatori and me … Outside, it was snowing …

Hatori lovingly ran his hands through my hair. "You truly are a Hikari", he said, smiling. "A light, shining bright and warm, like a candle on a cold winter night." I couldn't help it: I just had to kiss him again!