Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket

Flakes of snow floated gently to the ground, falling thickly through the air. I turned my face to the sky, a serene smile on my face, wrapped in a good winter's coat. Pulling the coat more securely around my shoulders, I huddled closer against the pillar supporting the deck.

"I thought I would find you out here," a low, warm voice said quietly, and I heard footsteps coming to a stop behind me.

My smile widened, but I didn't turn around. "And I guessed that you would come and find me," I said teasingly.

"You guessed correctly." There was silence for a moment, but it wasn't an awkward. The silence was comfortable and peaceful. Closing my eyes, I rested my head against the pillar and listened to the sound of distant chatter coming from inside the house and the steady breathing of my companion.

"Shigure and Ayame were becoming a little much?" I asked, hearing my friends' boisterous voices from somewhere inside.

"Their consumption of alcohol was happening at a rather alarming rate." My companion let out an irritated sigh.

"I think Ayame's staying the night. Are you?" I tried to not let the hope leak into my voice as I slowly opened my eyes.

"No."

Disappointment shot through me, and I rested my head on my arms. "I suppose you have to look after Akito?"

"Yes. I must be on call in case something happens." I felt him come up beside me and we both stared at the serene landscape, cloaked in white. "I would stay if I could."

Surprised, I glanced up at him for the first time, but darkness started to cloud my vision. All that I could see was a small smile before it faded away into black.

I started awake. My lips were dry and cracked, and my eyelids were heavy. Struggling, I tried to turn my head but the action caused pain to lance through my skull. Finally I was able to open my eyes. I was on a hospital bed, and sunlight streamed in cheerily through the window to my right. Glancing down at my hand, I could see an IV attached to me. I shuddered, looking away. I hated needles.

A nurse came through the door and started, seeing me awake. She stuck her head out the door and talked to someone for a moment before turning back to me. "Glad you're awake, Mai." She checked one of the machines before making a note on her clipboard. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." I licked my dry lips, and the nurse noticed. She poured me some water in a small paper cup, and I thanked her, taking it and drinking greedily.

"That's normal. You were out for most of the day. I'll let the doctor explain more."

An image came in of what happened outside the diner. "Are there three teenagers waiting for me?" I asked, praying that there were. If there weren't, then I had no idea how I was ever going to find out where they knew me from. I needed to know who I am.

"Yes. They're with their guardian and your agent." I breathed out a sigh of relief and sank back into the pillow. I watched in silence as she continued to check my vitals.

A man in a doctor's coat walked in. "Ah, Katamaya-san. Good to see that you're awake. My name is Hayato Ishimaru. Is it alright if I talk to you for a little bit?" I nodded as the nurse finished up and left. The doctor grabbed a chair and sat next to the bed, opening a manilla folder. "I'd like to ask you about your eating habits."

I shrugged, a grimace on my face. "I tend to skip meals a lot."

He nodded, his eyes fixed on a chart. "Right now, you're underweight. You're not very healthy, so you need to stop skipping meals. Is there a reason you don't eat?"

"I feel sick a lot. The thought of eating disgusts me."

He made a note on a sheet of paper. "We can run a few tests while you're here. How have you been feeling emotionally?"

I stared at the blankets in front of me, the feeling of loss and wrongness flooding back into me and I felt myself sink back into my mood of despair. "Bad," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Everything feels like it's falling apart. I can't cope with it. Something's missing... I've forgotten something important. I can't remember what it is!"

"Take a deep breath," Hayato instructed, and I complied, closing my eyes and trying to calm myself down. "Everything is going to be alright. Okay?"

"Okay," I whispered. A flash of white caught my eye and I looked up to see a man in a white doctor's coat striding away from the door. I frowned, watching the man disappear. He looked familiar... Did I know him from somewhere?

"Who's your doctor?" Hayato asked, referring back to a sheet. "There's no one listed on here."

A name jumped to my lips, but I frowned. "I don't know... I don't remember..."

Hayato gave me a searching look. "I'm going to go talk to another doctor while I let your visitors come in and see that you're alright."

"Thank you." I clutched the scratchy wool blanket with one hand.

"You're quite welcome." He strode from the room, and my gaze was drawn to the window. The outside world seemed so bright and cheerful, filled with sunlight and chirping birds... Life went on but I was stuck in the past, or at least my lack of a past...

My head dropped into my hands. I want to remember... Let me remember...

"She's ready for you to visit her," Hayato Ishimaru said, appearing in the doorway of the waiting room. "Please, not too many people at a time. Thank you." He walked away.

"I'm going first." With a determined look on her face, Chiyo stood up and marched from the room, leaving the other four people behind.

"Are you sure that it's a good idea for us to be here?" a teenager with bright orange hair asked, turning to look at a man with shaggy black hair.

"I hope she's alright," a teenage girl fretted.

"It's okay, Tohru. Mai was always strong. She'll pull through." The teenager that had said that was looking off towards Mai's room, a frown on his face.

"You're right, Yuki," the man said quietly, a serious look on his face. "She's always been strong." He sighed. "If Akito found out that we're here... or that she recognized you three..."

"She said your name, you know." Yuki's sharp eyes fixed on the man's face. "Shigure. She seemed to remember something."

Shigure's face became troubled and the four of them fell quiet for a moment. "Are we going to go see her?" Tohru asked tentatively.

Kyo's eyes widened, staring at someone behind Shigure. "Hatori?"

Hatori's face was blank, but Shigure frowned at the turmoil in his eyes. "Hatori... How is she?"

"Let's go home." The answer was short and direct.

"We have to see her!" Kyo argued. "It's killing her, not knowing. We have explain something!"

Hatori's eyes narrowed at the youth, but Kyo glared fiercely at him. Shigure turned to the three teenagers. "You three go on home. Start supper, be teenagers! You have the power of youth on your side! Go out and conquer the world!" The cheerful facade seemed to work on the three teenagers, and with dubious looks they filed out of the waiting room and towards the exit. Once they were gone, Shigure's smile dropped and he turned to Hatori.

Hatori was staring at a nearby wall. "It's obvious she has depression. While that can be cured with therapy and pills, I'm worried that it might develop into something more serious than depression." Shigure was grim and silent as he waited for Hatori to continue. "I caught a look at the doctor's charts. She's malnourished. Hasn't been eating right for a while, if anything at all." Hatori gazed at the hallway leading towards Mai's room.

Shigure watched him. "What are you going to do?"

A deep sigh escaped Hatori. "I don't know."

A/N

Hello, everyone! So sorry about the lateness of this chapter. School, marching band, and college visits/applications/interviews have seriously taken up all of my time. It'll all be over by November...

So I'm not sure about how I wrote Hatori and Shigure at the end. Thoughts?

Thank to everyone who reviewed! Each reviewer made my day ^.^

I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. Promise!

Please review!

~Eva Sirico~