CHAPTER 3!

Hatori froze at the look on her face, he didn't get the chance to make sure what he was seeing was what he thought it was as the girl was across the kitchen again before he could blink.

"When you left, it looked like something had scared you." Tohru said suddenly as she lifted the teapot off the burned and she turned back to face him, "I was coming to check on you."

"I… don't know what it was." Hatori responded softly, her concern touching him deeply, she had a look of slight longing on her face and he stared carefully at it. "Do you want to… say something?"

She shook her head and pushed away from the stove to stand a few feet from him, he narrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something when she launched herself at him, and he stepped back a little as her petite form hit him dead on and they tumbled to the wooden floor with a dull thud. When the customary poof never came she opened her eyes to inspect him, hoping she hadn't hurt him and found the green gaze staring in shock at her.

"You didn't…" Tohru whispered, leaning back so that she was straddled over his waist and began to poke his side and chest experimentally, he stared blankly up at her, his mind reeling. Finally he sat up to wrap his arms around her again, testing a theory, when no transformation resulted he closed his eyes and held her tighter to his chest.

"That's what it was." Hatori said at last, releasing Tohru and guiding her off of him, "I feel lighter."

"The curse…" Tohru whispered, her eyes lighting up as she stared fondly at the former dragon, "It was lifted!"

Hatori nodded and started to rise when he was blind-sided by another hug, this one a little gentler than her last and he allowed her to grip her hands into his shirt and bury her face against his back. For some deep reason he felt like shedding tears as she was, he felt like something had lifted free and he could feel again. Sorrow was the first emotion that bombarded him, sorrow for not being cured before Kana, sorrow for never seeing that it would be empty without freedom. He had lived barely contented and wishing desperately for that inch of freedom that Kureno possessed. And never knowing that that freedom was what had put the former bird in his precarious situation, at the edge of his death now in a hospital bed with memories to sift through.

Tohru felt the doctor withdraw from her tears and her grip tightened, she forced down her tears and moved around the former zodiac to sit carefully in front of him. To stare softly with concern at the pallor of his face and at the thoughts racing through his eyes with emotions that had never been seen through his eyes before. Carefully the girl slid her arms around his neck and pulled him forward to lean against her in the hallway, her back pressed to the wall and their legs stretched out into the visible line of the doorway.

"It's okay now." Tohru whispered, loosely cradling the older man in her arms as he registered now that what had chained him to the Sohma was now shattered and blowing away in the maelstrom of freedom.

There was no response from the man for a few minutes until she felt his hand tightened slightly on her waist and she held him closer, willing him not to speak, not to ruin the profoundness of the embrace,

"I'll protect you." Tohru whispered, her eyes closing and her fingers tracing over his shoulder until she felt him sigh, even he knew that the likelihood of her protection was low, "I'll hold you."

Hatori closed his eyes and opened them again, truly seeing after being lost in his thoughts… reminiscent of the erasure of Kana's memories. He pushed himself up to his knees and met no resistance from the arms draped kindly about him.

"I apologize…" Hatori whispered, he reached down and helped her to her feet and she smiled at him and shook her head.

"Not at all." Tohru said in the high-pitched voice that signaled her distress, "Nothing to apologize…"

A soft fingertip pressing to her lips silenced her and she stared at it before glancing up at Hatori who shook his head to signify he meant to apologize no matter if there was a reason or not. Tohru ached at the thought of his apology, she didn't feel that Hatori needed to issue it… he had done nothing wrong.

"Hatori-san" Tohru said finally, the finger dropping from her lips, "It's good to express how you're feeling."

"It's not like me."

"So?"

Hatori sighed again, turning his back on Tohru for a moment then returned to stare carefully at her. She blushed suddenly and bowed for another time that day then started to shake her head.

"I'm sorry… that was wrong of me." Tohru fumbled, her eyes glued to the floor, as she remained bent in a bow, the doctor just shook his head and turned back to the kitchen.

Hearing the door open down the hall, Yuki turned to face Akito and the woman shook her head then looked completely away from the Rat. Yuki turned from her and went to the door, sticking his head out into the hallway he saw the lone Shigure approaching and he slipped into the hall with a brush on the door.

"She doesn't want to see you." Yuki said, louder than he had anticipated but the announcement stopped Shigure in his tracks.

"Whatever do you mean?" Shigure asked, his customary smile thinning slightly but Yuki slid the door shut and stared at Shigure.

"What I mean… Shigure. Is that Akito has told me that she wishes not to see you." Yuki gritted, his hand dropping to his side but his purple eyes not losing their determination.

"I came to see you." Shigure pointed out, his finger touching Yuki's chest to punctuate his statement.

"Liar."

Shigure donned a look that made him seem thoroughly hurt but Yuki didn't miss the gleam behind his eyes that signified that acceptance of a challenge. The Dog reached out to push open the door and Yuki batted his hand away with a look that told volumes of impending torture. Though said torture would most definitely be at the hands of Akito, he didn't let that slide and merely put himself completely between the door and Shigure.

"Yukiiii…" Shigure started to plead but Yuki narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, steeling his will to the adolescent whine that the writer was emitting.

"Leave." Yuki ordered, motioning lightly towards the hall from which Shigure had came,

"I can't just leave… without Tohru." Shigure answered, crossing his own arms in the attempt to stare Yuki down.

"Why did you bring her?" Yuki growled, not missing a beat.

"She wanted to see Hatori."

Yuki rolled his eyes, realizing he had played to Shigure's hand and rose up to his full height and leaned his head back, giving a stony gaze that only Kyo had been on the receiving end of in the past. Shigure felt the gaze hit him like a brick and he stepped back from the look akin to hatred in Yuki's eyes, a look that Akito had given him on several occasions.

"Now." Yuki hissed, his eyes narrowing, "You will leave."

Shigure batted his hand weakly, attempting to pass the hostility off as a joke but failed miserably, Yuki merely glared harder and the Dog smiled.

"Fine, Fine." Shigure acquiesced, his hand batting softly at the air and then retreated back to the yard and waited impatiently for Tohru. The girl and the doctor appeared around the house together, Tohru smiled up at the stoic doctor. Shigure cocked an eyebrow at Hatori who just smiled back down at her and she wrapped her arms around him again and said something that even the Dog's experienced ears could not pick up.