Standard Disclaimer applies.

A/N: Over 400 reviews! YAY! Spoiler Alert: If you haven't read up to Chapter 99 (I think?) in the manga, you may be surprised. But if you have been following along with the story so far, you should already know. Thank you for your ultra-keen eye for detail and proofreading skills, Eel.

Hatori's Remedy presents:

Chapter 48: When It Rains, It Pours

Tohru blamed herself for Kyo's departure. She had never had the feeling of unrequited love and she had turned him down so insensitively. She watched for him by the window every evening, hoping for him to return, so she could apologize profusely and make everything return to how it used to be. One morning, a few days later, Yuki asked her where Kyo was and she blubbered that she did not know. He said he had tried to call Kyo on his cell-phone but no one answered. Tohru could not look Yuki in the eyes when she spoke.

Yuki could tell something was up.

Hatori picked Tohru up after work on Thursday. He noticed how quiet she was, but did not say anything. Sometimes people wanted to be alone. He knew he liked to deal with issues himself rather than letting all his emotions escape and burden others and he preferred to handle something alone, courageously and contemplatively.

"I hear Yuki is coming to work." Hatori stated; his eyes were focused on the road ahead.

"Hai."

"Where did he go for the night?"

"He had to go to the library to renew a book."

"Do you have any homework you need to work on?"

"Hai."

"Would you like help?"

"It's okay."

Hatori sensed uneasiness. It wasn't like Tohru to brood. "Tohru, is something wrong? I am always here."

"No. Thank you."

Hatori's biggest fear was that she had doubts about their relationship. He had gotten over that nagging feeling a long time ago, but maybe it had returned, like cancer, hiding, burying itself somewhere, and then striking. Was it a burden for her, not to be able to walk hand in hand with him or telling everyone of their abundant love for one another?

"Tohru, if it's about the relationship, I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable situation…"

She cut him off. "It isn't."

"Please, if it's anything, just tell me." I love you.

She wanted to tell him so badly. But she also didn't want him to feel bad about the situation or worse yet, be angry. She would rather deal with Kyo alone.

--

Two weeks later, Tohru and Hatori were at the library studying for her English test. They had not seen each other for the past week, wanting to keep their relationship under wraps. They were in a small cubicle area on the second floor, tucked behind rows of tall bookcases – still and undisturbed. Tohru faced him, but she was looking out the window behind him, looking at the dreary drizzle outside. Her body was closed off, her arms in front of her chest. She was not focused on him or her test. She was entranced by the rain. She watched the sky change from a steely grey to the color of a newly formed bruise. She shuddered, almost feeling the cold drafty air whipping her cheeks, and the giant water molecules splashing on her skin. The skies were angry. Maybe at her, for what she did. That's why they were punishing her. She remembered her mom had said that rain washed away troubles. It was the transition to a new beginning. She wished it was, she wished everything would return to the way it used to be. She didn't like the feeling of guilt and remorse in the abyss of her stomach. The book in her lap lay untouched for the past five minutes. The color in her face was gone. She was pale.

Hatori decided to do something spontaneous to cheer her up. He thought hard. "Do you want to go for a run in the rain?"

"Wh-what?" Tohru snapped out of her daze. His voice was a mere echo. She had barely heard him, too concentrated in her self-loathing and shame.

"Let's run in the rain."

"But…it's cold, we'll get sick…"

"It's okay. We're wearing enough. Plus, it's just a little rain. We'll find shelter if it starts pouring." Shigure and Ayame would have thought it preposterous for Hatori to be saying that!

"Okay." Tohru placed her hand in Hatori's and went downstairs, taking their belongings with them. Outside, the rain fell in fat, lazy drops, from the billowing grey, ominous clouds. The rain was not graceful, like a waterfall in the Amazon, but fast and violent. The clouds were like a heavy blanket, enclosing the world below. The grey ground turned black. Rain was the ultimate divinity. It colored the world, cleansed, and rejuvenated. The roads, the buildings, the plants.

"Where are we going?" Tohru asked. Her eyes were clear and wide in wonderment.

"No where in particular."

Holding hands, they ran like there was no tomorrow, through small puddles and past metallic oil rainbows on the roads. They were not running from anything. They were not exercising. They were merely enjoying nature's tears. The rain made them feel alive.

For the first time in a week, Tohru smiled. She uttered a foreign giggle.

"What?" Hatori questioned, feeling warmth blossom in his chest.

"I've never done this before. It's…it's fun." They stopped in a small, empty park, catching their breaths. They could smell the wet earth. Hatori put his arm around Tohru. She shrugged it off, carelessly. She did not want any human touch; she was a sinner, a vile person. She had not even realized her action until she saw his face. Hatori's eyes flashed behind his glasses streaked with rain, which he had forgotten to take off after their silent session in the library. His fair features were hard and chiseled in sorrow and pain. It felt like someone had swung a pendulum made of lead at his heart.

"What's wrong?" He said, trying to hide the hurt and bitterness in his voice. Tohru's eyes concentrated on the water droplets hanging of his sad, sensual lips. "Please tell me what's wrong. Please."

Tohru wanted so badly to tell someone, but how would he react? Instead, two twin tears rolled down her pink, windblown cheeks. Even though they were in the rain, Hatori noticed. He wiped it away with his thumb, his rough skin making her wince.

"I'm so sorry Tohru. I don't know what to do… I've-I've been trying… my best." Tohru's eyes instantly flickered with puzzlement. Did Hatori think that she was bitter because of what he was doing? No, no, NO! She put her head on his heart. "I'm not angry or bitter about you. It's just…" Her cheeks were pink. She was beautiful.

"Let it out."

"I can't. It's my fault."

"Don't let it burden you."

Her knees buckled beneath her. She keeled over, her hands and knees on the prickly yellow grass. She dug her fingers into the muddying soil. She felt the tears and tried hard, too hard, to not let them fall. She was a shivering mess on the ground; she might as well have crumpled into the fetal position and hidden herself in a cardboard box, because she felt miserable, like she deserved to be locked up in a cage. She was drenched, and it added to the pity she felt for herself. He picked her up, wanting so badly to just hold her. He felt useless. He walked them to a tree, using it to shield them from the torrential downpour.

"I love you, Tohru."

Tohru made no reply, but looked up to him with a distracted smile. He leaned down, his face close to hers and felt her breath gusting across his lips. She no longer wanted to stand, her legs feeling like jelly. She slid to the base of the tree, disintegrating into a convulsion of hiccupping sobs. Hatori brought his lips to hers, wanting to catch all the sobs, wanting to absorb her sadness. She responded to his kiss eagerly, nipping at his lips passionately. She twisted her hands into his shirt, her knuckles white against his black shirt. At the soft touch against her warm cheek, she looked up at him, a sheen of tears blurring her vision. Hatori placed his forehead against hers, his eyes so close that he can see the beads of rain lined on her eyelashes, his hands tangled in her hair.

"Kyo t-told me he loved me." Hatori was perplexed. Of course Kyo loved her! All the Sohmas did.

"Go on."

She hiccupped. He looked so shaken up. She was so fragile, like a porcelain doll. "He left because I told him I did not love him back. That I already loved someone else."

She saw the confusion in his features. "He said he loved me, not as a friend, but like… like you do.

"He said that had I made my decision. He packed and… and l-left." Her face fell, tears leaking out once more.

"I'm so sorry." A harsh wind whipped across their faces. The wind blew some dry strands of Tohru's hair in every direction. Hatori squinted his eyes to look at her.

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry that I'm so weak and that I can't handle my own problems."

"No." This was not a childish problem. This was serious, and she had the right to act this way. He had dropped the question on her like a bomb. Hatori sat down next to her. He heard the sloshing of mud under him, but he didn't care. He put one hand in her leg and rubbed in soothingly, and the other around her shoulder. She felt safe in his arms.

"It's not your fault." She turned her tear-stained, blotchy face toward him.

"But it is! If I hadn't…"

"Please don't be this way. Don't blame it on yourself. He overreacted because he did not think about the consequences. He'll survive. The only reason he left is because all that emotion was suppressed for so long. It's finally out, but the person he likes doesn't feel the same way about him, so he's frustrated." A drop of rain dripped down from the branch above him, right onto his cheek. Now it looked like he was crying too.

"But he looked so… sad." She said, snuggling under the hollow of his arm, seeking solace. A concerned expression crossed her usually bright face. All the color drained from his face. His eyes were black. There were creases all over his forehead. He almost looked like that creature…

Hatori did not care that they were drenched, or that his pants were soaked with muddy water. He only cared that Tohru had told him, and thereby released that burdening pain. Now, they would deal with the problem together.

He would return. Hatori was sure of it.

"Please don't worry about it. We'll make sure it's alright. I promise."

--

The rain fell vehemently on the rooftop of Hatori's office. The covers enclosed them, though it was only five in the evening, oblivious to the outside world and warm. The pale grey light filtered into the small room, onto the bed, where the lean bodies lay, moving up and down, slowly, surely. Hatori's black hair fell upon Tohru's skin, tickling her, as Hatori's mouth trailed soft kisses across her collarbone. The softness of his kisses sent shivers down to her toes. He gazed up at her, with half-lidded eyes.

Impulsively, Tohru asked, "Let's do something."

Hatori followed her command. She pulled him out of the bed. The stood face-to-face. She took his hand and pulled it up. She twirled beneath him, like a ballerina in a music box. Delicately.

"Do you have a radio?" Her carnation-pink lips arch into a pretty smile.

"In the other room."

She left him, wearing nothing but on of his white undershirts and her panties. She returned and plugged the small player into the wall. She tuned the small wheel until she found a good song. "Let's dance," she said, breathless. Her face was bright as the lights in the city. She twirled before him, utter ease and playfulness. He could not help but smile at her childishness. She never ceased to amaze him.

He had never danced.

Ever.

It seemed like a waste of energy, effort. He had better things to do, like sit at home, reading or studying.

But now, seeing Tohru dancing so fluently, so confidently, so uninhibited, he wanted to join her. With his two left feet.

"I can't dance."

"Don't use the word 'can't'." She said, with a frown.

She took his hand. She attempted to twirl him beneath her arm. She was five foot three, but she made it work somehow. He ducked beneath her arm as though it were a small door into an enchanted forest. He looked like a stumbling giant. He grunted like one too. He bumped his knee into the rounded bed frame.

Tohru winced and said, "Ouch. Are you okay?" She bent down to assess the damage to his exposed knee.

"I'm fine."

"I'll go get an ice pack for the doctor."

He pulled her to her feet and said, "It's really okay."

"Alright."

They stood in front of each other awkwardly.

"So Hatori, have you ever danced in the rain?"

"It's pouring, no way. I don't want you to get sick."

"No excuses, Doctor Sohma. I have a very strong immune system. I don't get sick too often. Do you ever remember me coming over to your office for anything other than a checkup?"

It wasn't entirely true. On more than one occasion she had driven herself to illness with stress. But anything other than that no…she was right. She was rarely sick, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get pneumonia or something today.

"You could get pneumonia."

"But I won't. I promise."

"You can't promise that," he insisted.

She gave him a pout. She was tempting him…

"Fine, but if you get sick, I'm not taking care of you." Yeah right. I would probably smother you with care.

"Okay."

She tugged his hand, and they made their way to the door. She pushed it open. "Ready?" She asked, before stepping one foot onto the stone pavement.

"Sure."

There was still enough light to see the colors around him. Everything was muted, the grass, the stone pathway, the tree trunks. The leaves of the bushes in front of the porch seemed to move to the steady pounding of the rain. The late November air is fresh. Hatori wasn't afraid that Akito might pass by, she hated rain.

At first, they just stood in the rain. Hatori wondered why Tohru's eyes were so bright. She suddenly twirled in the springy emerald grass, her feet getting wet. It was as though the rain was her music, and she its muse. Her laughter filled the air. She took both of his hands and moved them. He couldn't help but sway. It was uncoordinated and gawky at first, his feet like lead weights. However, his legs adjusted to the different movements. Soon, they were soaked. His shirt clung to Tohru's small frame. She shivered, but insisted that she was fine. He could see everything. He gulped. This wasn't right. She wasn't even wearing a bra; it was drying in the bathroom. Luckily, Tohru took his hands and put them on her waist.

"Just move with me."

He did. It wasn't as hard as he had thought. He still needed some time until he perfected the western Charleston of the 1920s. He spun Tohru under his arm. It was like she was a rotating rose in a cylinder, sparkling, captivating, and intriguing. One wanted to open the cylinder, take the rose out, and enjoy its beauty up close. He watched, fascinated. By they time they broke apart, both were dizzy and utterly contented. Hatori was sailing on down a river of pleasure, with Tohru as his captain. He took her back to the dryness of the porch. They sat on the bench, waiting for their hearts to settle down. Both were drenched and Hatori's hair clung to his face.

If only it rained everyday, and he could dance freely with Tohru. No one would watch or judge. The world would be theirs.

--

In the night, Tohru woke, chilled. Her eyes stung in the darkness as she shuffled to the windowsill to look at the clear sky. She whispered to the empty room, "I had a dream about you again, Kyo. I had a dream that you were at the edge of a cliff. You were going to jump, and I was there. I told you not to jump, but you didn't listen. You-you jumped. It was a nightmare. I've never had one since my mom's… d-death." She swallowed hard. Her throat dry. Her eyes blurred with unshed tears.

"I screamed, but you were already gone. You just left me. Please come back. I can't stand to know that you are angry at me. I did something wrong. I want to make it better. I promise I will. Knowing that you are in pain, I can't be happy. Even though Hatori tried so hard to make me happy yesterday, I couldn't help but think that you were somewhere, alone. My heart aches. Please come back. I want things to go back to the way they used to be." She felt so sad. She picked herself up and returned to her bed.

A knock at the door startled her.

"Tohru? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Yuki."

"I heard you scream."

"That was a dream. I-I…" It was so hard to lie.

"As long as you are okay. I'm always here."

People are always there to help, but it's so hard, because you don't want them to be burdened.

--

Early in the morning, before the sun rose, she went to pick autumn vegetables, a wicker basket in the crook of her arm. A multitude of birds seemed to materialize from the dawn fog. Tohru could see the dew perched like small soldiers on the tree-leaf clovers. She heard their eager fluttering, off to find breakfast. She saw a black insect hop from blade to blade. She wore the yellow pom-pom scarf that Kyo had teased her about.

She got to the garden patch as the first streams of sunlight trickled through the forest canopy above. She tilted her head to admire that beautiful soft light, too gentle to hurt her eyes. It was free of weeds. Yuki must have come here this past week. The last time I checked, it was full of crabgrass. Just as she was about to crouch down to pick some squash, she felt a tug on her scarf.

--

A/N: Some of you said you were afraid Kyo would do something drastic. Don't worry, out lost cat will return safe and sound. You guys are adorable! :3 Reviews are ALWAYS welcome. If you ever have any constructive criticism, toss 'em at me.

Thanks Eel for your constructive criticism. I will be sure to look out for awkward dialogue and characterization. I loved everything you offered, especially the word torrential. – Leaps into a meadow of daisies –