Ch. 9 - Life

"It's been several days…" Saki Hanajima mumbled to herself as she laid on the same hospital bed she'd been in since Hatori had found her. Hana wasn't sure what had compelled her to visit Akito alone like she had, but apparently good things had happened from her doing so.

"Their curse is broken Hana-chan! I'm not sure what exactly happened, but all I know is that all the cursed members are free!" Tohru had been so happy as she held Kyo's hand as they both sat beside her bed. Hana had simply smiled and listened to her friend ramble on and on during their entire visit. She couldn't help but think of Hatori, and she wondered what he was doing. He hadn't been by to visit her since he had dropped her off however many days ago.

So many days of being poked, x-rayed, and laying there looking at the pure white walls. The nurses said the windows could be opened and that all Hana had to do was page one of them down to her room to open them for her. Saki sighed and thumped her head against her pillows a few times. Her father and brother had come to visit almost every day, as had her mother. Seeing her mother there was hard, but everyone insisted she was getting help and had stopped drinking and missed her daughter. Why hadn't Hatori been by?

Tohru and Uo had both sat beside Hana for the past hour, talking about their days. Up and Kureno had a date later and Tohru had to buy Kyo some more milk. Hana had just sat there listening and looking at the get well balloons and flowers from friends and family, but nothing from Hatori.

"It's getting stuffy in here...I need to get out of this bed!" Hana sat up and looked around the room. A change of clothes was laying on a chair next to the bed. Tohru had brought them for when she was released. Hana stood up on wobbly legs and walked towards the neatly stacked articles of clothing, with the full intention of changing and leaving. Most of her wounds had healed, so she didn't understand why they still kept her here. Saki noticed that her attention span was a lot less then normal...Her thoughts jumped from her friends, to Hatori, to the window, to how she's thinking about how her thoughts are all jumbled and random.

'Must be this hospital room,' she thought. Hana grabbed the black lace shirt Tohru had brought her and then the black pants and started to head for the bathroom to change.

"What do you think you are doing out of bed?" She jumped and looked at the door, though she knew the voice and knew who it was. The man who kept jumbling her thoughts up. Hatori stood in the door way with a dozen red roses in his hands and his suit all wrinkled and messy. His tie was undone and hanging loosely around his neck, his shirt untucked, an his jacket looked like he had thrown it on in a hurry. He walked towards her and pulled the clothes out of her hands with one hand and kept the flowers in the other.

"You shouldn't be out of bed yet, Hanajima..." Hatori gently led her back to the bed before putting the flowers in an empty vase. Hana opened her mouth the object, but Hatori silenced her with a gentle kiss. Her body instantly warmed up, and she wrapped her arms around him. He broke the kiss and looked at her, smiling.

"Get back in bed, Ms. Saki Hanajima and let me get whatever you wanted..." Hatori tucked her back in the sheets before crossing to the windows and opening them.

"Is that better?" As he asked her this, a gentle breeze floated in to the room and gently moved the dark hair.

"It is, but Hatori...I have some questions, and I hope you can answer them," Hana moved her legs enough for Hatori to sit next to her on the bed. He brushed her hair back from her face before sighing.

"I figured you'd ask some questions eventually...Go ahead..." He watched her lean back against the pillows and sigh. Her eyes opened and she looked at him long and hard.

"What was Akito's deal with the scissors? She seemed really anxious to cut off my hair..." Hatori thought about it for a moment before replying.

"In all honesty, I'm not really sure. Akito had locked Rin, the one cursed with the spirit of the Horse, in a secret room and had cut all her hair away with the same scissors. She didn't brutally beat Rin up, like she did you...But she did starve her to death and nearly killed her..." Hatori really had no answer for Hana, who seemed to be okay with the answer he gave, as she continued.

"Why...haven't you visited me? It's been days since I last saw you!" Hana's eyes narrowed slightly, and Hatori thought he'd best answer this truthfully and wisely.

"I had things to take care of at the main house. The thirteen of us cursed, that's obviously including Kyo, haven't been to sure of what to do. All of our lives its been Akito telling us how to live, where to live, and so on...So you can imagine how some of the members are acting right now. Many had questions, some of which I have no answer for...but today everyone went off their own ways. Rin, the horse, and Haru are together again; Kureno no longer feels tied to Akito and has agreed to go on a date with Uotani, you're friend...Others have planned trips to other countries...But I have decided what I want to do, Saki Hanajima." He looked at her, waiting for any reaction from her, which there was none. He leaned towards her and rested his forehead against hers. He felt so peaceful and happy, and better then he had with Kana. That was a weird thing for him to admit; he'd always thought that Kana had been the happiest he had ever felt, but this was better. There was no longer a cloud hanging over him, no longer a weight on his chest, and it felt good.

"What have you decided to do from here, Hatori? Move off somewhere and work in a real hospital?" Hana's voice sounded heavy and unhappy as she said this. He sat back and looked at her funny, wondering what gave her the idea.

"No...I have something much better in mind then that. Now, Ms. Saki Hanajima, I have asked your father a very important question. He gave me permission, as long as I waited for your 18th birthday. Both him and your mother have agreed, and both seem to love the idea. Now all that is left is your answer to the question. Hanajima, I have never felt happier. When I'm with you, I'm comfortable, peaceful...I'm so deeply in love with you, I'd die if something were to happen to you. Seeing you injured like you were in that secret room...I was scared...well, shitless. There's no other way to describe it...I thought you were going to die, and I had to remind myself of how strong a person you are...I have asked many people what they thought of my question, and everyone had to same reaction...

"Ask her!! They all said, which in all honesty surprised me, and so here I am hoping to get the answer I want." Hatori looked away from her for a moment, and Hana noticed a nervous shake to his hands and to his voice. She felt her chest tighten in excitement, and her stomach knotted up. She felt both sick and excited at the possible ideas she had of what he was going to ask her. She sat up expectedly, and held her breath without realizing it. Hatori looked at her and smiled. He reached in to his jacket pocket and stood up off the bed. Kneeling down on one knee beside the hospital bed, he pulled out a little box.

"We haven't known each other long, I know. Such a short time...and here I am...Here we are...I never do something rash, nothing like this...But this feels right, and I know I am doing the right thing here...So now...Saki Hanajima, I want to ask you something important. Would you become a Sohma? Will you marry me?" Hatori opened the small box to reveal a small silver, diamond ring. It had one big diamond in the middle and two smaller gems on both sides. Hana's eyes widened and she had to force herself to breathe. Hana knew it wasn't very like her to cry, and especially not at something so gushy like this...But she felt her eyes tear up, and she couldn't get them to clear. She looked at Hatori and smiled.

End of this chapter!! Is this the end of this story?! Who knows!!

I'd like to thank my newer friends:

Lilah Aine - Oh thank you!! I'm so sorry for this taking so long!! Hopefully this chapter is good enough that you won't want to throw things at me!! I hope you like it!

Xemoxbatx - I hope this chapter answered your question. If it didn't, then I'll answer it now. Cutting the hair isn't disgraceful, and short hair is most certainly not a bad thing for my hair is very short and I like it that way! In a later book in the series (I know not whether you have read it or not, and I sure hope I didn't spoil anything for you with this chapter or this answer) Akito and Rin go at it and Akito cuts off all her hair for some reason. I felt that I could use this weird action to my advantage...Sorry for the confusion!!

Lilith Jasmine Snow - I hope this chapter is up to your standards!!

LinaStar - Thank you so much!! Oh, never worry my friend, I plan to finish this story...If it takes me a couple more months and little or no sleep to do so, I will! I've been awake almost 24 hours thinking on this story and my others I haven't posted on here yet, and now at 4:43 am I have finally finished my thoughts and typed them up!! Alas, I will get this finished and hopefully it will be something everyone likes.

Gem of the Stars - Oh thanks!! All of you guys are soo supportive!! I'll update as soon as I can with the next chapter!

DarkPriestess1617 - Never fear!! I'll be updating more due to summer being here, and my graduation having passed!! I am soooo sorry for the time it has taken me to do this!!

And that's all my replies for now!! I promise to update again asap!! And now, at 5 am, I save this, post it, and go to sleep!! Thank you again everyone!