Standard Disclaimer applies.

A/N: Thank you Shadie. Your review was very heartwarming! This chapter covers a long span. Like the span of this story. Hehe. Without further ado…

Hatori's Remedy presents:

Chapter 56: Tin Man

Tohru groaned when she realized that she had not told Arisa that she was going to Asahi. She hoped that Arisa's cousins still had room for an additional laborer. Arisa always nagged Tohru to go with her during the summer. I am so absentminded! She thought.

When the bus stopped two blocks away from the company where she worked, she got off. She had to tell the head of the janitorial management that her services were over. Leaving her luggage in the women's locker, she went searching for her 'hiding' boss.

The lights in his office were on, but he was nowhere to be seen. She turned to go in the other direction...

"Ooof!" Looking down at her shoes as a sign of respect, she responded, "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to walk in your way!"

"Tohru!" said a cheerful voice. The man took her by the shoulders, "Boy, am I glad to see you here!"

She could not hide her surprise. She had not expected to meet anyone, especially in her pained state. She had expected to world to reflect her current state. Numb. Alone.

"Your eyes are kind of puffy? Is something wrong?" His deep-set eyes penetrating, probing.

"No, I'm fine Takeshi. I'm here to see my boss."

"I'm here!" said a sing-songy voice in front on her. He had just appeared from behind the tall plant. He was finally here when she needed him. Thank you. "Come into my office."

She gave Takeshi a meaningful look. Something like, I'll see you later.

Her boss lifted some books from the chair opposite his desk, and piled them on the floor, making room for her to sit. "Tell me your concerns."

"I won't be returning to work anymore. I'm moving to Asahi for a while to help out a friend."

He nodded understandingly. "Members of my cleaning crew come and go. I was prepared for this. I wish you all the luck. You have been a great employee. If you ever need a recommendation, please come to me. Just leave your keys in the planter outside the lockers."

"Arigato."

If he had been more accessible, they might have become friends. He was pleasant the times she saw him.

She went to the locker to retrieve her baggage. She dropped off her keys, before making a beeline for the sliding doors.

"Wait up. Are you going to keep up the charade?"

"I'm going to Asahi."

His face was marked with a pout. "You're leaving me?"

"I'm sorry." No empty promises. She would not give herself the easy way out. "I'll call you." She was in no mood to ease his grief. Her own broken heart still needed mending.

She left before tears tumbled like a rivulet.

---

While waiting at the train station, she picked up a brochure of Asahi. All she knew of this town was that its agriculture and fishing conditions was phenomenal. She would be helping Arisa's cousin with her farm. Maybe she could cook for them. Practice her skill. Get her mind off… things.

---

Getting off the train was a breath of fresh air. The clouds were soft and bouncy like fresh cotton. Instead of tall grey buildings and honking impatient drivers, there were small storefronts with colorful names; Chifuyu's Creamy Chocolates, Mango to Tango (a bakery/nightclub - something new), Baby Bamboo Clothing. The streetlights were glass-blown bellflowers. She made a mental note to visit the charming town when she had time. She asked for directions and transferred to a bus. She was momentarily stunned with the abundance of yellow rapeseed flowers in a meadow behind the bus stop. In her fantasy world she would dance and twirl in the flowers. The people on the bus were different. They spoke to each other in hushed, excited tones. Their conversations drifted in and out. How are your tomatoes? Did your husband get the job? Thank you for the sweet potato cakes. They were delicious.

She smiled for the first time since she left the house. The small slip of paper with the directions lay in her hand, crumpled.

---

That night, she lay in her creaky cot in the barn. The anticipation had finally settled down. The hushed breathing of her companions and the sweet smell of hay was comforting, natural, encompassing. The nearness provided her warmth. A family environment. Arisa's cousin Sakiko was welcoming, though her eyes weary. She lived with her timid, but pleasant husband, three rowdy sons, and four middle-aged workers. Sakiko promised food, board, and a small salary. The money wasn't much, but Tohru was grateful for it anyways. Tohru would start work tomorrow. Asked whether she wanted to work indoors or outdoors, Tohru responded indoors, but that she was willing to work outdoors if needed. She would be in charge of feeding the hens, picking eggs, and cleaning the enclosures. She also took care of making the preserved vegetables and filling the jars in the large shed. Work began at seven each morning. Sunday was her free day.

Mornings were her favorite time of day. She woke at six to the ribbons of dim light streaming in onto the beams that held the gambrel roof. She threw on her long cardigan and ran outside to see the sunrise. It moved rather fast, like a big errant balloon. Something she had never noticed in the city.

Sometimes the night fog lingered a little too long, but it was alright. It looked like a snow globe that had been shaken. Instead, she climbed to the half-platform below the roof. Sakiko's husband had built it for the boys. There were soft cushions and books. A window peered over the property. It was beautiful. Everything divided with perfect linearity for the animals, the vegetables, the fruit trees, new plots.

During her second week, she strolled between the rows of vegetables, but found to her surprise that the soil was too moist, almost like quicksand. She quickly exited, and found solace at the base of a large tree. As her feet dried, she picked up some wooden trains on the ground and ran them in the dirt, creating deep groves in the ground. She traced a random letter, which happened to be an 'H.' She swore that she did not do it on purpose. I mean of course my brain decided on that, but I didn't want it! Honestly. She leaned her body against the strong trunk and closed her eyes, willing herself to forget the pounding sensation that accompanied her painful thoughts.

It was the simplicity of this lifestyle that she found exhilarating.

She never needed televisions or telephones.

---

Nights were torture. She had moved her bed to the edge of the barn, where it was drafty and where the wall panels bumped against each other noisily. Tohru didn't want to wake her sleeping barn-mates with her cries, a response to the disturbed dreams. There was even a graphic scene of Hatori collapsing to the ground after a glass bowl was thrown at his head, bloodied, motionless. She wanted to rush to him, but something held her back. Dark, ice-cold... tentacles? The division between reality and fantasy blurred. It kept her up for two nights. Afraid to sleep. Afraid to see.

And that wasn't the worst.

---

Hatori had aged beautifully in 10 years. This was her sixth time seeing him. Always at a distance. Silver streaked his healthy dark hair, which was more shorter. It no longer covered the scar below his eyebrow, and the newest one. His body was trim, as it had always been. He moved through the crowd smoothly, like a feline. He was handsome, an unparalleled beauty, carved out of stone. Cold, hard, and untouchable.

She stayed 25 meters behind him.

She had changed too. Her defining long locks had been cut short, framing her face. It had been a symbolic new beginning. After she had been given the title of 'head cook' at the house, a promotion given by the boys for her tasty dishes, she had visited the library and picked out all the cook books she could get her hands on. She had learned various techniques, and names for techniques she had long been using, but never knew the names for. The household loved being at the receiving end of her 'experiments.' Dinner was a happy event. Friendly banter. The boys getting each other furtive hand gestures (Tohru always tried to guess what they meant) and making silly faces at each other. Her new 'family' had insisted on her checking out the job opening in town. Tohru was glad she did. She had immersed herself in cooking for a local restaurant during the afternoons. The master chef had taken a liking to her. Since his own two children had gone off to college, majoring in business, he took her on as a sous chef. He taught her techniques and tricks beyond books.

She volunteered at the soup kitchen once in a while.

It was a comfortable life, but still...

Hadn't they promised to stay together?

Hadn't they thought of a promising future together?

He had relapsed. At the final moment, he had basically 'thrown in the towel' when he didn't respond to her repeated knocking. He had given up on the relationship, on her.

It was over.

Over.

But here she was, following him, blinking only when her eyes started to tear, so that she wouldn't lose sight of him. He was at the Farmer's Market. Her heart pounded viciously. She had some clue of where he was going. He paused in front of the water fountain.

She was right.

The ice cream shop. New York Ice Cream Parlor. Why was he here? He hated sweets. He came out moments later and sat in front of the fountain. Tohru ducked behind a family of four walking side-by-side, still watching. He took off the sunglasses tucked into the v of his shirt and placed it on his face. For fear that he would see her, she went into a sunglasses store. How ironic. Squinting past the tinted glass, she saw that he had a small cup with pink ice cream. Strawberry.

Their flavor.

A flurry of panic rushed through her. She clutched the threadbare sheets of her cot. The nightmares made her wish to see him, hear his soothing voice, his rare laugh, feel his callused fingers on her sensitized skin, have his hair tickle her when he leaned down to kiss her, see his perpetual frown turn into something close to a smile when she did something silly. The list was endless.

Four months without him. It was a struggle.

Yuki had called her in the beginning. To no avail. He had pieced the pieces together. The unspoken understanding in his eyes.

---

The next morning, she went to the main house to prepare breakfast as she always did. It was Sunday, so everyone would wake up late. Sakiko came in for a cup of tea.

"Sakiko-san?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to the city today. Is there anything you'd like me to do before I go?"

"No. Enjoy yourself. Oh, don't forget to make yourself a lunch."

"Hai."

---

On the train, she felt nervous like a schoolgirl on her first day of high school. She looked out the window at the countryside: the green mountains that seemed to undulate forever under the graying sky. Sometimes when her mind drifted away, she would see her own reflection in the window - pale and gloomy. Soon, she fell asleep, with unshed teardrops lingering at the bottom rim of her eyes.

---

Shuffling footsteps came after her soft knock. The door opened. A tall man in a white lab coat and grey slacks opened the door and looked out. Off into the distance before he focused on her.

One look at his sharp green eyes left her voice shaky. She buried her face in her hands.

"Why have you made it so difficult for me to find you, Tohru?" It maddened him that she had appeared so randomly, when he had suffered so long. Needing her, desiring her, yet wanting to keep her away from all the decay, an impossibly bleak future with him. The Sohmas, all wasting away under Akito. He felt like the Grim Reaper standing in front of her, she, wholesome and innocent.

The eyes that gazed up at him were wide and lost. They were a blurry hurricane of despair and devastation. They could see into his soul. It tore him apart. He searched her face - every movement - inquiring.

"Can I come in?"

He hurried her in with a wild gesture of his hand, but not touching her, fearing that she would dissolve like a hologram. A butterfly's gossamer wings. She ran her fingers through her short hair. It was a drastic change, but her beauty still dazzled him to no end. She ran her chapped lips through her teeth.

She turned 45 degrees away from him. "I had a dream that I met you in the future, 10 years. You looked worn, with some grey hair, but still perfect, handsome. This time, I followed you to the ice cream store and-and..." It had been so realistic, down to the color of the plastic spoon he used to eat his ice cream, green. She was sure she could explain everything in great detail. But something held her back. Let me finish this and tell him that it is my own decision whether or not I want to be with you! It should not be decided by Akito! I hate him! I hate him! Aren't you capable to choosing who you want to spend your time with! This is your life!!

She turned to him. Pleadingly she said, "Just stay healthy; promise me. If I can't be here with you, I want to at least make sure you are safe and happy. I didn't get a change to tell you that before." Pathetic. That was all she could say when she had practiced countless days of what to say to him if she ever saw him again?

To give up like this?

His blank gazed-over face made her hesitant to open her mouth again. She started to panic. Did he feel anything close to the pain she did? Did he cry out for her at night? Did he turn into a mess when he ate strawberries, or any berry or dessert, for that matter? Had he made one thousand cranes in hopes of getting one wish granted - love: in the arms of Hatori? This was an outburst of clashing emotion. How could she - thoughtful, always-putting-others-before-her-Tohru want him to suffer as she did?

She finally said, "That was all I wanted to say." Miserably. Blinding white-hot frustration festered, begging to be unleashed. To pound against the wall of his chest and demand a response. Do you hurt as I do?

She wanted to ignite a burning flame in his chest, the same as the one that resided in hers. Always lit. Always persistent.

"Akito has been watching every move I make. It would be unwise for you to stay. I am healthy. Take care of yourself." He responded as a man of his profession. Clinical. The bearer of unfortunate news. Controlled.

Hatori. Hatori. HatoriHatoriHatori. This isn't you, this emotionless robot, heartless tin man. She couldn't stand here. She had already been reduced to a blubbering buffoon, feeling the black storm of stagnancy rolling over her. At least she could hold her feelings close to her heart. Never forget.

He apparently had.

Tohru ran out of the house. Tears, like rain, tumbling off a rock balanced at the edge of a mountain.

Across the stone garden, Akito watched. Good pet.

---

Did I say those things to protect her? Or me?

---

A/N: No fear. The end is near. Or is it? Reviews, please. (Next chapter is almost ready...hint, hint, wink, wink.)