Notes:
I still only own Michiko, Kishi, Akira, and the Yankees. :)
~Tali
Chapter 19 - Hiding
"So, who should we be today?" Michiko asked quietly. They were at Shigure's house, huddled in Kyou's room as they had been Kyou and Yuki the day before.
"I'll be Kyou and you can be Tohru. Are you going to attend classes all day or just for half?" he asked.
She tapped him with her wand and changed him from Yuki to Kyou. "All day so the teacher just thinks it's a bug going around the house. I'll switch you at lunch so you don't miss the whole day either. Do you still have their homework?"
"Yeah." He shuffled through his bag before handing her two sets. "Here's Tohru's and Yuki's."
Michiko stuffed them into her new school bag and checked her appearance. "Do I look okay? I didn't miss anything, did I?"
Haru looked her over critically before nodding, "You look just like her. You should wear school uniforms more often, you look cute in them."
"Hush. I despise uniforms. The closest you're going to get me to one is that little number Ayame and Mine made for me."
"You should wear that again. It's better than cute. I've been thinking I should order another one for you." he said as he ran his fingertips down her arm.
"Do you have any idea what they charge for those concoctions?" came the reply as she swatted his hand away, "Quit trying to distract me. We need to get to school. Ug. I was really hoping to never have to say that again."
He laughed at her, "Come on. It's time to pretend Yuki's sick. Then tomorrow Kyou will be. Let's get some breakfast."
"All right." They emerged from Kyou's room in time to see Shigure heading up the stairs. "Good morning, Shigure-san. How did you sleep?" Michiko as Tohru asked.
"Haven't yet, flower. I missed seeing you at dinner last night and didn't hear you come in. Did you have to work very late last night?"
"Yes, and Haru was nice enough to walk me home since Michiko had to work late too."
"I see. Well, I'm off to bed. Have a nice day at school you two."
"We will." Michiko replied before heading down the stairs to make breakfast.
After they ate, they left to meet up with Momiji for the walk in. They walked close together so they could discreetly hold hands while Momiji hopped around them chattering away. The walk to school was uneventful and both were grateful they didn't have to deal with the Yuki fans that day. Poor Haru had been chased from one end of the school to the other the day before and did not relish the idea of experiencing that again. Especially since Michiko had spent the day laughing at him.
Classes went fairly smoothly. As the anti-social Kyou, Haru only had to sit and glare all morning while Michiko made explanations for Yuki and chatted with her friends and the teacher. When lunch came, Haru dragged her up to the roof so they could be alone and themselves for a few minutes. Sleeping at Shigure's meant sleeping alone and having no privacy and he really detested that. After one last kiss she changed back into Tohru and they headed down to eat a quick lunch before afternoon classes. This time Michiko had the quiet time after a quick explanation that Kyou had started feeling ill at lunch, and Haru got hassled for missing morning classes that day and afternoon classes the day before. Since he had all of his work done, the teacher let it go but requested he at least try to be in class all day. Once they left the school, she changed him back into Kyou so they would be seen walking around town. Michiko and Tohru had both arranged a couple weeks off work so once they hit the forest outside Shigure's they apparated to the cabin to give the other teens their homework and notes for the day.
"Hi, guys!" Michiko called cheerily as they walked into the cabin.
"Hi, Mi." Kyou called before looking over at her and frowning, "Could you not do that? It freaks me out to see us walking in the door."
Michiko and Haru chuckled at him before she returned them to their original forms. "Homework for everyone. Yuki was out sick today and Kyou will be out sick tomorrow. I'll make some snacks while you all get to work. I have the parent-teacher meeting after school tomorrow for all of you to be home schooled and after that you should be good to go." Her eyes landed on Haru as he pulled out a stack of homework, "And a good thing too considering your teacher's new method of punishment. You should go to class all day tomorrow and I'll handle the other three somehow. Maybe Yuki can relapse early." She frowned as she considered how to work the system and headed into the kitchen.
Kyou spotted the guilty look on Haru's face and leaned over to hiss, "What are you hiding from her?"
"None of your business." Haru hissed back.
"Am I gonna be angry when she finds out?"
"She'll be happy and that's all that matters."
"She better be." was Kyou's response.
"Would you please trust that I'm not going to do anything to intentionally hurt her? You're not the only one that loves her, you know."
"I hope not." Kyou said angrily before hopping up and heading into the kitchen. "Mi, walk with me."
Michiko looked up at Kyou and saw he was upset so she handed what she was doing to Tohru and followed him out the door. "What's wrong, little brother?" she asked as soon as they were out of earshot.
He growled a bit but didn't answer. Familiar with his inability to put words to feelings she patiently waited him out. Ten minutes later, she was rewarded when he asked one question.
"Why didn't you tell me you and Haru got married?"
"Oh, Kyou. You don't think it was because I don't trust you to keep my secrets do you?"
He glared at the ground and nodded curtly. Michiko tugged him to a stop, "That's not it at all. I've been working so much I've pretty much gone home and to bed. The only reason I was around Haru enough for him to keep asking is because he more or less moved in after our fight."
"He had to ask more than once?"
"Yes, I wasn't sure we should get married so young. I mean, he's still in high school and I was worried he would decide to drop out and start working and I didn't want that."
"What changed your mind?" he asked curiously.
"We love each other. I figure if he loves me enough to ask every day and take the time to listen and help me work through all the reasons I said no then there must be something powerful between us."
Accepting that, he glanced at the ground again before looking her in the eye, "Would you please not keep big secrets from me?"
"I didn't intend to in the first place. I just hadn't found a time and place to tell you that I wouldn't need to worry about anyone overhearing. We didn't keep it a secret to hurt you, Kyou-kun." she replied as she gave him a sideways hug. "We only got married a few days before we brought you here. It took him nearly a month to get a yes out of me, if that helps any."
He gave her a true smile, "It does, actually. Come on, I'm hungry."
When they returned Haru gave Kyou and unreadable look, which the neko ignored in favor of the kitchen. Michiko noticed it though and knelt next to him, "What's up?"
"What did you two talk about?" he asked bluntly.
"Not telling him that we were getting married. He thought it meant I didn't trust him."
"Oh."
"What did you think we talked about?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing specific. I was just curious why he didn't want to talk here."
She gave him a half smile, "When has Kyou ever wanted to talk about his thoughts or feelings in front of an audience?"
"Good point."
"I'm going to check the barriers to make sure they're all right. I'll be back in a bit." she said before giving him a quick kiss and heading back out the door.
The next day Haru and Michiko, disguised as Shigure and Hatori respectively, walked into the teacher's office after classes had finished. "Good afternoon, Mayuko-sensei. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today." Michiko as Hatori said.
"Yes, thank you very much." Haru as Shigure said.
Mayuko studied the men thoughtfully. "Why do you want to take Kyou, Yuki, and Tohru out of regular classes?" she asked.
"We want them to travel with us for a couple of months to see historical sights and experience other cultures. It would be a valuable learning experience for them." Michiko as Hatori replied.
"And you are prepared to home school them yourselves? Have you ever tutored children before?"
"Not at this level, but we are prepared to ensure they spend time working on their schooling and obtain outside assistance if necessary. We don't wish for this to negatively impact their education, but to add to it." Michiko as Hatori replied.
The teacher studied them closely for a long moment before nodding. "Of course we cannot stop you if this is what you wish. I have packets with instructions and information for you as the instructors and also for them as the students. I have included the syllabus and homework assignments for the rest of the year. I will need to receive their homework each week."
"That is fine. We can make arrangements to send it in. Would you like it emailed or on paper?"
"Email if you can. It would take less time than if you're mailing it from other countries."
"That is no problem at all." Haru as Shigure replied. And we won't have to worry about getting postmarks to support our story.
Mayuko handed them the packets and stood. "Very well. I'll be watching for the first email." She reached out and shook hands with them both before showing them out the door.
Haru and Michiko walked sedately out the door and into an empty ally nearby. She grinned at him before taking his arm and apparating them to the field. She bounced happily over to the cabin and waved the packets at them.
"You're all set. You'll need to email your assignments in once a week."
Kyou looked at her with a raised brow, "What did I tell you about walking around looking like other people?"
Michiko changed her and Haru's appearances and handed them the syllabus copies. "Get working my little school children. I need to read my instructor's packet, as does Haru."
Kyou looked absolutely scandalized, "You two are planning on actually tutoring us? He hasn't even done the work for our year yet."
Haru shrugged casually, "You'd be surprised what you pick up from the first year classes."
Michiko glanced over at him, "Perhaps you should finish that pile of homework your overly generous teacher assigned you." She turned to look at Yuki, "Honestly, I've never seen a teacher pile work on a student like this. I'm half tempted to go in on his behalf and file a complaint."
Yuki glanced at Haru with raised brows. Michiko watched the silent communication curiously as Haru flushed a little at Yuki's expression and her scrutiny.
"What's up, Anata?"
"It's nothing." he replied dismissively.
She watched Yuki shake his head slightly before turning towards his homework. Kyou was now glaring openly at Haru. "Yeah, what's up, kuso ushi?"
Haru returned the look, "None of your business, baka neko. Shut up and do your homework."
Michiko watched their interaction with interest before raising her brows at Haru questioningly.
"Do you have to watch me so closely all the time?" he growled irritably, unhappy that he wouldn't be able to surprise her as he had hoped.
She gave him an arch look, "You are usually quite pleased that I pay such close attention to you. What has changed?"
"Yeah, what's changed?" Kyou demanded suspiciously.
"Shut UP!" Haru yelled before tackling Kyou and tumbling them out the door.
Michiko tilted her head back and growled at no one in particular, "Why do I have to deal with this nonsense? It was a simple question." She zeroed in on Yuki, "You know what's going on. He keeps no secrets from you."
"He didn't tell me he was going to ask you to marry him." Yuki returned smoothly.
"Do you want me to tell you how much he agonized over that?"
"Not especially. He's your husband, why don't you ask him? Or better yet, Michiko-san, why don't you trust him when he says it's nothing?" he asked.
"If it was nothing, why is he beating the hell out of Kyou for asking too many questions?" she countered.
"Do you believe he would keep something important from you? Something that you needed to know?"
Michiko considered that for a few moments before slowly shaking her head and heading out the door. She walked over to the tussling pair and put a barrier between them. They glared over at her and she smiled serenely.
"That's enough, gentlemen." she told them.
Kyou looked at her in disbelief. "He's keeping secrets from you, Mi."
"And they are his to keep. He would not keep anything that I needed to know from me. I trust him completely." she said with her eyes fixed firmly on her husband.
Haru relaxed and smiled at her. She reached out her hands; he stepped over to take them and pulled her in for a kiss. "Thank you, Omea."
"You are quite welcome, Anata. Now you better get started on your homework. I'll cook dinner tonight so make sure Tohru is working on hers as well."
He nodded and left her outside with Kyou, who was still staring at her.
"You should trust him with me, Kyou."
"What do you mean?" he asked angrily.
"You should trust that my husband has my best interests at heart and will not do anything to intentionally harm me."
"What about unintentionally?"
"What about it? That happens no matter how careful people are with each other."
"You're sure?"
"I am."
"Okay." he replied before slouching back into the cabin.
Michiko watched his retreating back for a moment before following. When she stepped into the cabin Yuki looked up at her from his spot at the table.
"Michiko-san, I've been meaning to ask you something." he said.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Would you be willing to show me the book you found our curse in?"
She smiled, "Of course. It's in Sumerian. Do you want me to teach you how to read it?"
Haru chuckled and gave Yuki an amused look. Michiko and Tohru looked at them questioningly.
"He told me you would be willing to show me the book and happy to teach me how to read it myself." Yuki replied with a small smile.
Michiko grinned at him, "Of course I would. It's about you, after all. I'll be back in a minute."
She stepped out of the cabin and they heard the pop signaling she had left. Several moments later, she stepped back into the cabin with an old book that looked ready to fall apart at the lightest touch. She set it gently on the table next to Yuki and opened it to the marked page. He studied the foreign symbols for a long moment before looking up at her.
"Would you teach me later?" he asked.
"Of course. Do you want to know the language or just enough to read this?"
"Let's start with this and see how it goes."
"Very well. Now back to your homework. I'm going to cook dinner." She looked at Tohru, who had started to stand, "You are going to do your homework as well. With this home schooling program, you could finish school early. Think of how proud your mother would be then."
Tohru considered that for a long moment before smiling and returning to her homework.
----------
A few days later Michiko was at home studying Haru's restlessly sleeping form. He was pale and his fever was spiking. She had given him some potion to help alleviate the symptoms but it was taking longer than she thought it should for the virus to clear his system. He was so ill at this point, she wasn't comfortable trusting her treatment so called Hatori for his assistance. When she told him he'd been out for thirty-six hours he agreed to come over as soon as he could get away and she unlocked the door before returning to Haru's side. She sat on the bed next to him and watched him stir fitfully until Hatori walked into the room.
"What are his symptoms?" he asked as he started examining to make his own determination. He noted the dark circles under her eyes but withheld comment for the time being.
"He kind of looks like he has chicken pox, but not quite."
"And what does that say about his energy field?" Hatori asked as he continued to look the teen over.
"Nothing because it's not actually chicken pox. If it were, it would be gone already. I gave him medication a couple days ago and that would have cleared it by now. I can't figure out what's wrong with him. It seems like a ma-foreign malady, but who has he been exposed to but me and Kishi?"
"You're not making any sense. When was the last time you slept?" Hatori pushed her sleeve up and swabbed her arm, "I'm going to need some of your blood to check for antibodies."
"A few days ago. I've been worried." She made a fist and let him draw a couple vials. He was very good and it barely hurt when he put the needle in her arm. He got a clean syringe and took blood from Haru as well.
"Is there anything he could have been exposed to?"
She shook her head, "Not that I know of. I keep anything potentially dangerous at work . . . . Oh, no." The girl closed her eyes with a pained frown, "I can't believe I forgot."
"What?"
"The book."
"What book?"
"The cursed book. I didn't warn him. I know he likes to flip through the books I bring home. He probably picked it up."
Hatori frowned at her. How could she possibly think a book could be cursed or make someone sick? Obviously, she was hallucinating from the lack of sleep. He pulled out yet another syringe and stuck it into her arm before she realized what he was doing.
"What was that for?" she demanded lazily.
"You're hallucinating. You need to sleep immediately or you could do permanent harm to your brain function."
"I am not hallucinating." she tried to argue. It didn't come out very strong and she started to collapse. Hatori caught her carefully and steered her into the bed.
"You'll feel a lot better when you wake up." he said as he brushed a hand over her head. He watched while she closed her eyes and her breathing evened out. Once she was out, he returned his attention to Haru. He had no idea what she had been rambling about medication to treat chicken pox. As far as he knew the only thing to do was inoculate against it or live with it. There were no medications to make it go away once you had it but the teen certainly appeared to have a serious case of chicken pox. Hatori thought he had gotten it as a child, but perhaps he was mistaken. Once he had done what he could he called Kishi to let her know Michiko would likely be out of work the next day. She arrived within twenty minutes to check on them herself.
"Did Michiko say anything before she went to sleep?" Kishi asked as she brushed the girl's hair back.
"She was rambling about chicken pox medication and a cursed book. I gave her a shot to make her sleep. She was hallucinating." he replied.
Kishi looked at him sharply, "She said something about a cursed book? Have you seen this book?"
Hatori looked at her, "Are you suggesting that she was in possession of all her faculties when she said that?"
"Remember when I told you I was different?"
"Yes. If I remember correctly, that would be the night you asked for an alibi."
"Well, she's different too. I need to check inventory and see if anything came home with her." Kishi said, "I'll be back and I'll send someone over to relieve you. I know you can't stay here until they wake up."
Hatori stepped over and took hold of her shoulders, "What aren't you telling me, Kishi?"
"I'll be back in a few minutes." she said as she eased out of his grip and hurried out the door.
True to her word, she and two other people were inside the apartment within minutes. "I'm going to need you to step out for a few minutes while we check this room."
Hatori shook his head, "I can't leave them alone."
"It will only be for a minute." she responded, face grave.
"Why?"
"Because something dangerous is in this apartment and we need to find it."
"I thought she did research, bookwork. How did she end up with something dangerous?"
"It's not my secret to tell, Hatori. Please, let me do my job."
He frowned but stepped out of the room. Kishi closed the door after one of her assistants joined her and fifty-seven seconds later the door opened and she beckoned him inside. "Now I'm going to lock you in here while we look through the rest of the apartment."
"We're going to have a discussion about this as soon as your babysitter arrives."
She gave him a sad look, "I'm sorry to hear that. I really enjoyed your company."
A frowned answered that, "I fail to see how an honest conversation equals not seeing each other again."
"You will." she said with a sigh as she closed the door between them.
Hatori ignored the tightness in his chest at her words and checked on the two teens. They had shifted so they were facing each other with their foreheads touching and their hands held between them. That would allow them to sleep together without him transforming. How often must they do that for it to be habit while they sleep? He roamed the room aimlessly and a highly decorated piece of paper peeking out from under a jewelry box caught his eye. He pulled it out and stared at it in surprise. It was a marriage certificate and it had all the proper signatures on all the proper lines. It was dated for June twenty-ninth, just a couple weeks ago. He shook his head, certain that those two were going to be the death of him. Either directly for not telling Akito immediately or indirectly after he went insane trying to protect them from themselves. He tucked the paper back into its spot and tried to forget that he had ever seen it.
The door clicked open and he frowned at the man standing there. He looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place him. He stepped into the room and three people crowded in behind him. Hatori moved to stand closer to the bed. "Who are you?"
The oldest man, blond and rough looking, stepped forward and held out a hand. American. "I'm Kai. I've known Mi since she was twelve."
Hatori shook the hand cautiously. "Sohma Hatori. I am their doctor."
Kai gave him a narrow look, "Michiko's mentioned you."
Hatori glanced at the others and they stepped forward to shake his hand as well. The red-head was Joey, and clearly in charge of the other two, the bald guy was Nate and the dark haired one was Steve. "How do all of you know Michiko?"
"We knew Haru before we knew Mi." Joey supplied. "Met him last year and her several months later."
"So, you're Haru's friends?"
"We're friendly with both of them. We helped track down the guys that attacked her and searched for her when she went missing."
"Her too? Three days?"
"Yes. Haru said her boss was with her."
Hatori returned his gaze to the blond, "And how did you come to know her?"
"I helped her when she wasn't attending that fancy school."
"She attended a nice school?"
"Yeah. Said it was her grandfather's last wish."
"Do you know what it was called or where it was?"
"Nope. Just that she attended from September through June. She had a weird accent whenever she first came home for summer. And she can hold her liquor. Even young, she did all right for a girl."
"You got her drunk?" Hatori demanded.
"I gave her a couple of shots before I stitched her up on more than one occasion. We didn't have access to doctors in our area."
"You're the one that would have turned her out if you thought she was different?"
Kai glared at him, "Of course not and she is different. We don't judge people. Follow the rules and all are welcome. Wish I could say the same for you."
"What are you talking about?"
"I have never heard her doubt her place in this world until she hooked up with you guys. Either she hid it better with me or you bring it out of her."
"That was not my intent. Does she express that often?"
"In passing a couple of times. Enough to make me wonder about you."
Hatori's response was halted by Michiko's low moan. The men turned their attention to the bed where she was struggling to sit up. "Would you stop bothering me, lady? I don't have a damn sister and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I don't know who the hell you are."
They glanced at each other before Hatori moved to the bed and soothed her until she was resting quietly again. When he looked up Kai was standing on the other side of the bed, watching them. "What is she to you?"
Hatori studied the girl for a while before looking up at Kai, "I don't know."
"What do you think she is to you?"
"What business is it of yours?"
"I took care of her for years. She's part of my family."
"She's part of mine as well."
"Not to interrupt, but why did Kishi ask us to come instead of Kyou and the others?" Joey asked quietly.
"We don't know where they are. They disappeared three weeks ago."
Nate tilted his head at the bed, "Those two don't know?"
"They aren't talking."
"You should make them."
"No, he shouldn't." Kai argued.
"They're just kids. They shouldn't be out on their own if they have another choice." Nate returned.
"If Mi was in on it they're safer than they were in their own homes." Kai replied.
Hatori looked over at him, "Why do you say that?"
"She knows how the streets are. She would make sure they aren't on them and if they were, they would have been with us. Since they aren't, they're somewhere much safer. Why would they want to leave?"
"Family complications."
They all nodded. Each one had been subjected to family complications of their own and had decided away from family was the best solution.
"Would you ask her when she wakes up? She might tell you." Hatori requested.
They all shook their heads in the negative, "We can't break her trust. If she told us, we still wouldn't tell you. If she doesn't want you to know it's because she knows she can't trust you."
That hurt, and they saw it behind his hard gaze before he glanced down at her, "I wish she could."
"Wishing never got anything done. You're either trustworthy or you aren't. Try to be, she deserves it." Steve snapped as the door slid open and Kishi poked her head inside. She looked a little worse for wear but looked at Hatori resolutely.
"I'm ready for that talk."
He was at her side in a moment. "What happened?"
"It was more dangerous than we thought. Luckily, her notes were right next to it so we were able to contain it. It's back at the office by now. How are they?"
"Fine. Sleeping. I'm sure they're in good hands. Let's go to the coffeehouse so we can talk."
She shook her head, "We'll go to my place. It's quieter."
He turned to the Yankees and handed Kai a slip of paper, "Call me if his condition changes. I gave Michiko a tranquilizer so she is merely sleeping and should be fine in a few hours. Keep a close watch on Haru."
"Oh!" Kishi said as she pulled a small vial of sparkling liquid out of her pocket and went over to Haru. She poured it quickly down his throat and Hatori snatched the empty vial out of her hand a moment too late.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
"Cured him. He'll be fine in about twelve hours. Michiko had notes on that, too, and the antidote in her cupboard. She must have a lot on her mind to have forgotten."
"What did you give him? He may be allergic to it."
"He's not. She checked that too before she brought the thing home. It was tucked away with several other books. I'm impressed he was able to pick exactly the wrong one out of the stack."
Hatori looked between her, Haru and the Yankees before sighing and taking Kishi's arm. "We need to talk." He gave Kai and Joey a look, "Watch them."
The guys brushed them off. Nate gave a deep chuckle as he spoke, "We'll take care of them. Go have your talk and lay off the coffee, Doc."
----------
Michiko tried to open her eyes groggily. Her head was pounding and her stomach was roiling. Oh, just finish the job already. Nothing is worth this misery. What the hell happened to me? Gentle hands helped her sit up and guided her hands to a cool glass. She sniffed and didn't detect anything blatantly harmful so sipped cautiously. Water. Cold water. Thank you. She sipped slowly and her stomach slowly calmed. She focused on her head and the pounding dropped off to a soft throb she could live with. Finally, she cracked open her eyes and saw Kai's worried face not far from her own.
"Kai?"
"Welcome back."
"From where?"
"Don't know. Doc said he gave you a tranq and you've been out for about ten hours."
"I feel horrible. Remind me to dose him next time I see him so he knows how awful it feels." She put her head against her knees and moaned. "Did he mention why he gave it to me?"
"No, but I suspect it has something to do with our friend Haru being sick. Did you stay up with him the whole time?"
Her head snapped around to look for him and she had to scrunch her eyes shut to keep from throwing up at the dizziness that accompanied that movement. He was in bed next to her where he was supposed to be so she relaxed and slowly turned towards Kai. "How did you get involved?"
"They needed someone to watch over you until you woke up and Kyou and the others are MIA."
Her head came up again, "I've been out for ten hours? Dammit, I need to get over there and check on them. I haven't been by in days. I better hit the store; they're going to need supplies. Has anything strange happened since you got here?"
He tilted his head for a moment before nodding slowly and picking something up off the nightstand. A fine chain dangled from his fingertips and a pendant with the symbol for home was hanging from it. "It was burning you."
She glanced down and saw a bandage on her chest. "Oh, my God." Panic stricken eyes met his as she grabbed the necklace, "When did it start?"
"About an hour ago."
"I gotta go. I'll explain when I get back." she snatched the necklace and pulled it over her head before launching herself out of bed. He caught her arm before she toppled. She was still so dizzy and out of sorts. What the hell did he give me? Horse tranquilizers or something?
"There's something else."
She tugged against his hold, "What?"
"You have blue eyes and dark red hair." He looked down, "And you're taller."
"I'll explain later. I have to get to them now."
"You're not going alone. You can barely walk."
"I need to go."
"Take me with you."
"You're not going to like it."
"So?" He called out, "Joey, keep an eye on Haru. Mi and I need to take a field trip."
Joey came into the room and sat at the chair Kai had been occupying for the last few hours. "Nice look, Mi."
She looked at them, "Who else is here?"
"Nate and Steve. They like the hair, too."
She sighed, "I guess I'll be explaining to all of you when we get back."
"No worries, Mi. We don't need explanations. Hurry back."
Michiko stumbled into the kitchen and flicked her wand at the cabinets. A pile of supplies packed themselves in a box she conjured and shrunk down until it fit in her pocket. Kai stared at her in surprise before swinging her up in his arms and walking out the door. She directed him to a nearby alley and glanced around to make sure it was empty. "Put me down here."
He glanced around before setting her carefully on her feet. "What's here?"
"My turn." she said before wrapping her arms around him and turning on the spot.
They landed in a heap right outside the cabin where Kyou, Yuki, and Tohru had been sitting on the porch and worrying. The three teens were beside them in an instant. Kyou rolled they guy off Michiko and looked at him in surprise, "Kai?"
Kai blinked a couple of times before his eyes focused on the crimson eyes staring down at him. "The one and only. Where the hell are we?"
"Mi's cabin. Let's get her off the ground. What's going on? Why is there a bandage on her chest? What the hell's been going on?"
Kai staggered to his feet and picked up Michiko with some assistance from the neko. She batted at them but they got her inside and onto the couch without incident. Kai collapsed in a heap at her feet and Tohru ran into the kitchen to start tea.
The Yankee glanced around before returning his gaze to Kyou, "How did we get here? We were in an alley a block from her apartment."
"She didn't explain?"
"No. She freaked out when she saw the necklace and the bandage over the burn it gave her. She went into the kitchen and . . . . packed some things and then directed me to the alley. Doc gave her a tranq and she's still a little out of it."
"Doc?"
"Hatori."
"Why?"
"No idea. Haru is sick. Maybe she stayed up too long and he was worried about her."
Kyou looked at the bandage peeking out of her shirt, "How bad is the burn?"
"Not too bad. I was checking on her when it started and took the necklace off right away. Do you know what caused it?"
The teen looked sick, "Me."
"How?"
"I was really worried that we hadn't heard from her in days. I should have taken it off." he replied as he tugged the necklace from under his shirt.
"She gave it to you?"
"Yes."
"For a reason?"
"Yeah."
"And it doesn't work if you don't wear it?"
"I don't think so."
"Then you should keep it on."
Tohru came back out with tea and a Yuki was right behind her with a cold compress for Michiko. Kyou accepted it and put it against her forehead. A few seconds later her eyes fluttered open and she looked around slowly. She held up each of her limbs and checked that Kai was still in possession of all his parts as well before she spoke tiredly, "At least I didn't splinch us."
As that made no sense to any of them, they ignored it. Tohru spoke as she handed the other girl a cup of tea, "Are you all right, Mi-chan?"
"I will be once Hatori gets a bit of his own medicine. How dare he drug me without my consent? And really, a full dose on someone my size?" she tried to sound angry but it came out resigned. "Oh, man. I need to see if I can find the ingredients to make something to get this out of my system."
They watched as she hauled herself off the couch and stumbled out the door. Kyou was at her side in an instant, "Are you out of your freaking mind? You can barely walk. What do you think you're going to do?"
"Help me or go away." she replied as she nearly fell down the stairs. They could hear him cursing all the way down the path before it faded out.
"I don't believe we've actually met." Yuki said after a long moment. "I'm Sohma Yuki and this is Honda Tohru."
Kai shook their hands, "I'm Kai. What can you two tell me about what just happened?"
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"Would you stop swearing already? You're making my head pound." Michiko growled as she foraged around at the river's edge. She only needed one more plant and she'd be able to make a potion to cleanse her system. "Do you see any small pink flowers with red tipped leaves?"
Kyou made a face at her before returning his attention to the flowers that grew along the riverbank and at the base of the trees shading it. Finally, he spotted some pink flowers and pointed. "These?"
She looked over and frowned at him, "Those are fuchsia. I need pink."
"What the hell are you talking about? These are pink."
"No, they're fuchsia. Pink is lighter." she argued without looking at him.
"Are you out of your damn mind? Pink is pink."
"Not when you're ingesting it. Those will probably kill me."
"Oh." he circled the tree and found some lighter pink flowers, "How about these?"
She glanced over and her face broke out in a smile. "Perfect. I need the roots from three plants. Pull them carefully."
He tugged the plants out as she walked over and added them to her stash. "Okay, let's go back to the cabin."
They walked back as quickly as she could and she went directly to the fireplace and tapped a log to the bottom right of it. A small panel slid open and she pulled out a tiny box and took it to the kitchen. They watched curiously as she tapped it with her wand and it enlarged. Then she started pulling all kinds of things out of it and they moved closer to watch.
"What are you doing, Michiko-san?" Yuki asked when it looked like no one else would speak.
"Making something to clear my head." she replied absently as she chopped up the plants she and Kyou had collected and added them to the cauldron. Several minutes later the plant soup sparkled white then turned clear and she poured it into a cup. She held it up in a mock toast before downing it in one gulp. When her eyes stopped watering, she looked around and smiled at them. "Much better."
She pulled the bandage off her chest and healed the burn easily before pulling the supplies out of her pocket and flicking her wand to put them away. "So guys, how have things been up here? Is everything all right?"
"Everything is great, Mi-chan. How is everyone at home?"
"Wondering where you are. If you would write a note to Hana and Uo letting them know you're all right that would be very helpful. They're very worried about you. I explained that you were safe, but they said they would rather hear it from you."
"And what about Haru?"
"He's sick. I called Hatori to check him. I was knocked unconscious before I heard the prognosis and came straight here when I woke up." Her eyes found Kai's, "How is he?"
"Your boss gave him something shiny and said he'd be fine in about twelve hours, so he should be awake in a little while."
"Did they say what was wrong?"
He shrugged, "She said something about a book and dangerous and you had notes and the antidote in your cabinet."
It was her turn to look sick, "He found the book? It's my fault."
"He shares the responsibility for picking it up in the first place."
"But if I'd told him that specific book was off limits he never would have touched it."
"He won't blame you, Michiko-san." Yuki said as he touched her arm lightly. "You should go home and check on him."
"You're right. Are all of you okay? Do you have homework for Haru to scan and email?" Tohru went to the desk and picked up a stack of papers. "Wow. You guys have been busy."
She flushed, "I thought about what you said and my mom would be proud of me if I finished early. I'm going to try really hard to get as much done as I can while we're here."
Michiko hugged her, "I know you'll do it."
"And Kyou and Yuki have been teaching me katas. They won't spar with me but they're teaching me how."
"That's wonderful." Michiko said as she hugged the other girl. "When Haru's feeling better we'll come back and I'll spar with you to see how much you've learned."
"That would be fun." Tohru enthused.
"Tell Haru we say hello." Yuki requested.
"I will."
They said their good-byes and Michiko and Kai went across the clearing to leave. "There's no other way to get back, is there?"
"Not one that doesn't involve a hundred mile plus walk through the forest."
"Damn."
"The trip back should be better than the trip in. I'm feeling much clearer now."
He opened his arms and let her take him back. The ride was better and he didn't feel nearly as miserable when they landed. They hurried upstairs and heard voices murmuring in the bedroom.
"Hey guys." she called as she walked into the room.
Haru smiled over at him, "Where have you been?"
"Checking on our friends. How do you feel?"
He shrugged, "Fine. A little tired."
She sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm so sorry. It's my fault you got sick and that you weren't treated properly."
"I'm sure it was an accident."
"That's no excuse. I should have told you I brought something dangerous into the house. I will next time."
"It's okay, kitten."
"It's not. I could have killed you."
"Kishi said you had the antidote in the cabinet." Joey interrupted.
Haru squeezed her hands, "See?"
"And I forgot it was there."
"It's understandable with as worried as you've been."
Kai rested a hand on her shoulder, "If you two of you are all right, we should get going."
"All right. Thank you for helping us. And not asking questions."
"We take them as they are, Mi. You know that." Nate said as he tugged her hair.
She grinned at him, "And know we appreciate it."
They trooped out and she locked the door behind them before curling on the bed next to her husband. "Are you really all right?"
"I'm fine."
"You want to watch a movie?"
"Yes." She helped him out of bed and to the couch.
"I can walk."
"So could I." she replied, "But you carried me anyway." She tucked him under a blanket and made tea before putting in a movie and snuggling next to him.
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And we've avoided Akito for as long as we could . . .