Standard Disclaimer applies.
A/N: College just started. Miss the family like crazy, cried like a baby. Still crying sometimes. Updates may be slow. But patience, my little ones. I love you all too much to give up.
Hatori's Remedy presents:
Chapter 51: In Ribbons
It was two days until Valentine's Day. It was tradition for girls to make chocolates and present it to important men in their lives – friends, teachers, boyfriends. If he was her crush, special measures were taken – maybe a small chocolate cake. Also, a love note was attached filled with cute doodles and stickers. If he accepted, it meant he liked her too.
Tohru had frozen her chocolates overnight. They were ready for embellishment. Carefully removing the plastic mold from the refrigerator, she noticed that from her 72 chocolates (three batches of 24), four were missing. She told herself aloud, "I should have put a sticky note on them." As always, she blamed herself. She did not notice someone come from behind her until she felt a wisp of breath against her ear. "Making more for me?" Tohru whirled around, ready to tell him that he was receiving a smaller share because he had already 'stolen' some, but the grin on his face dispelled any bitter feeling.
"Good morning Shigure."
"Hello my little chocolatier. Do you know how much I adore you?"
She shook her head innocently. Loving to tease her, he leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Very much."
--
The kiss he gave her reminded her of the many not-so-innocent-kisses between Hatori and her. The memories caused her to blush. The one they had shared on the night before New Year's Eve had been especially passionate and uncontrolled, entirely dependent on emotion and not logic. After sharing a sudsy shower together and washing each other off meticulously slow, he had cradled her in the rocking chair on the porch, late in the night when no eyes could see. Previously the chair had been an object of hate. As a young boy, he had wanted to crawl into his father's lap to be lulled to sleep, but his father always pushed him away, telling Hatori, "I'm tired," or "You fidget too much." It made Hatori insecure and uncomfortable in friendly or intimate settings, even with the Sohmas.
Until now. She had awoken his dormant senses. It had taken him awhile, but now he didn't tense up anymore, but reveled in her touches like a kitten. Both wrapped in bed sheets, even the coldness did not chill them. They felt hot and heady. The silence was calm. They spoke through gentle caresses, whispers, and nips. The briskness, the quiet, sensitized everything. At dawn, they had parted. Hatori had brought her home. Both had New Year's traditions to honor; Tohru spending the special day with Saki's family and Arisa; Hatori with the rest of the Sohmas's in the annual festival. This year was Hiro's turn, or obligation, to dress up in the elaborate costume, something the boy had complained about since September. ("I can't wear those red frills!")
At midnight on New Year's, all Hatori could think about was his other half, Tohru. The vision of her imbued him. Is she having a good time? Is she thinking about me as much as I am thinking about her right now? He wanted to scream into the still night their secret, to be unburdened, show his complete devotion to her. He took his cell phone out of his coat pocket.
--
"Shigure, you're stifling me. Get your hands off me!" Akito said to Shigure in the stifling banquet hall.
"Please accept me, milord," he said drunkenly. He took her small hand and kissed it sloppily.
"You've had too much sake to drunk. I need some air." A flushed Akito left the large room. Outside, in the cold, she saw Hatori on his cell phone. Who was he calling this late? And smiling, treading in the snow in a dizzy circle. Akito wanted to get closer to hear the conversation, but without proper footwear, she was not willing to risk her health – those bloody heaving coughs last year nearly killed her last year. She went inside, her mind putting pieces together.
She didn't have enough, but she'd be observing.
--
Tohru had been surprised when her cell phone chirped her favorite anime theme song. She excused herself from the living room, wearing everyone was eating nuts and candy, and went upstairs.
"It's almost midnight. Don't the Sohmas have something special planned? Aren't they going to miss you?" She announced worriedly.
"Hello to you too," he said wryly.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. I just miss hearing your voice," and everything else about you.
"I miss you so much, Hat-," she cut herself off just in case Megumi was outside, "but maybe we can see each other tomorrow. I'm making a feast, a beef stew—"
"Do you think it would be weird if I came over early to help you in the kitchen?" His voice had a tinge of desperation.
She responded cheerfully. "Why didn't I think of that? I think it would be perfect. No one ill thing anything of it, except a wonderful guest wanting to help!"
"I can't wait." I want to see you tonight, but by the time we all turn in, it will be too late. And before he ended the phone conversation, he added hastily, "I love you." And it made all the difference. Tohru fell asleep dreaming about the future, and Hatori's perpetual role in it.
--
"Tohru, you have been painting that chocolate for the past ten minutes. It's ugly now." The pout on Shigure's face expressed the pity he felt for the poor chocolate.
"Eeeeyah!!" Tohru cried. She raised the blue sticky sugar-coated brush, accidently wiping it on Shigure's exposed forearm. He feighed hurt, grabbing his arm. "Eeeeyah!" he mimicked. She stood frozen, not yet registering what she had done, still in a tired trance. Shigure dipped his finger into the cup of red liquid and dabbed Tohru on the cheek, making her look like an ancient Japanese woman, who wore white powder all over her face and enough blush to look sickly happy and doll-like.
Tohru realized what was going on, and for a quick moment, she came out of her shell and painted his lips quickly. Shigure growled low in his throat, like a possessed dog.
He hungrily kissed her lips, red and alluring. Then again, and when she didn't turn him away immediately – too shocked, his tongue probed. She tensed, moving her chair back jarringly, breaking the heated moment.
"Oh Kami." She said quietly. She had been a willing partner. She frowned, angry at herself for participating so lustily. His touches before had been meaningless, but now that she was in a solid relationship with Hatori…
She was so frustrated and she couldn't voice it, tell Shigure that she was in love with his friend.
Judging by the blank stare, his kiss had not been appropriate, but it had been wonderful. Soft full lips. It was probably his imagination, but they had been receptive. "Are you okay?" He asked seriously, but not fully concentrated. He was still lost on her honey and milk smell.
The sound of her leaving the kitchen woke him. He got up and ran o her. This wasn't just "one of his women", this was his friend, the one who always gave him the benefit of the doubt. The one who stood by his side when the hose stood divided against issues like who left the stink in the mess, or who touched drank out of whose glass. Plus, Yuki and Kyo would never allow him to see light again when they would out what the "pervert" did – stolen a kiss from maiden Tohru. Aside from his punishment, he woundered why she hadn't pushed him away immediately. If he had indeed stolen her first kiss, why did she respond like a pro? Unless…
Maybe she had a boyfriend.
Just a guess.
--
Tohru was a bundle of nerves behind the door. She had kissed Shigure in the heat of the moment. How could she see him on Valentine's Day? The guilt… first she needed to confront Shigure. She opened the door. Shigure was sitting at the top of the stairs. He turned his head.
"I'm sorry Tohru. I didn't mean to –"
"It was my fault. I didn't stop you."
"I was aggressive."
She accepted his consolation, but could not forgive herself. She let the incident nag her. At night, since she could not fall asleep, she went downstairs to pain her chocolates – drawing on the surface of the box: a zodiac animal. It took her a painstaking four hours and fifteen minutes to design the boxes, fill each on with 5 chocolates and wrap the box with patterned paper and a red ribbon. After that, she kept her idle hands busy by folding the while boxes into shape.
Yet she could not make herself not feel ashamed. It was the typical movie storyline: kissing the best friend accidentally. Two sides of her fought. One said: Shigure and you have a teasing but platonic relationship. You don't love him in that way. The other side said: you are a grown woman. You should own up to being careless and unfaithful, even if it was 'spur of the moment.' Your independence has become reckless.
She fell asleep with salty teardrops streaking down her face.
--
Shigure was smoking on Hatori's porch the next morning, not noticing Hatori's snow-white knuckles or his unfathomable gaze. Shigure's breath created small puffs in the cold winter as he recounted the previous day's episode.
"It was done in the heat of the moment, yet she looked so dismal, as though I had deflowered her. I apologized, but she was so hesitant to accept it. She had rubber gloves and a 20-meter pole, and I had fleas and a restraining order."
Hatori knew how easily Tohru got distressed. She would sulk until it killed her.
"Do you think she's dating someone? That's what my intuition telle me, Tori-san."
Me, Kami-sama!
"Hello, are you there Tori-san?
"You're awfully quiet today. Flu season? Need a message?"
"No." What he needed was a hot shower. But he could not shoo Shigure away. "Did you follow up after the apology?"
"What do you mean?"
"Comfort her."
"What was I supposed to do? I can't exactly hug her and I'm not a Casanova with words."
"You could have told her you were an uncouth, impulsive git."
"Thanks for putting it that way." Shigure said sarcastically.
"She's a young girl who has had no experience with strange men kissing her out of the blue! Do you expect her to immediately forget and move on?"
"You're mean."
"I'm not. I'm being honest."
"Why do you care about her feelings so much? You always indifferent. When I get into an argument with Haru, you just stand there with your arms folded. I've never seen you this way, this passionate."
She's more important to me that anything! You would never understand! Instead, he said, "She's important to the Sohmas. She brought Yuki and Kyo to somewhat of a truce. She has gotten Rin to speak to her when no one else can! I don't want to see her leave over a foolish thing you did."
"Harrumph!"
It sliced his heart in ribbons, but deep down in his heart he trusted her.
It was love.
--
Tohru left the house with two brown bags filled with personalized boxed chocolates. Winner of Most Valentine's Day Chocolate Contest, in three categories: Effort, Creativity, and Tastiness. There were dark circles under her eyes.
"Tohru, you're not sick, are you?" Yuki asked, concerned.
"Just a late night. I'm fine."
He had insisted on carrying the bags to school. Kyo grabbed Tohru's messenger bag and yanked it off. Too tired, Tohru did not even acknowledge the competitiveness between the rat and cat.
Class was a blur.
"Yuki, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Can you give something to each of the Sohmas for me?"
"Sure, but wouldn't it be better if you did it? They'd appreciate it more."
"I can't." I can't see his face.
She gave him the bags before walking to class. She felt dizzy.
--
A/N: I didn't have time to type all of it up. This will just be a chapter. Some angsty goodness is coming up!