The Art of Teaching

Chapter 7

By the time Kumiko woke up, it was already late morning. At first, she couldn't remember where she was, but her momentary lapse of memory ended when Shigure pounced.

"Ah, and so she awakes," he said from the table, folding a newspaper. She rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you," she replied as casually as possible. "What time is it?" she inquired.

"10:15," the novelist told her.

"What? Why didn't you wake me up?" He took off his glasses and rested his chin on his palm.

"You were so exhausted that I thought it would be good to let you rest," he explained. The young woman got to her feet carefully, putting a hand out like she was a tight rope walker, waiting for another dizzy spell.

Thankfully, it didn't come. She breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and joined Shigure at the table.

"Feeling better?" he assumed.

"Much. Thanks for letting me stay here—even if it was against my will," she said playfully. He grinned in return.

"Tohru left some breakfast in the oven for you," he remembered, standing and going into the kitchen to get it.

Well, that's uncharacteristic of him, the young woman thought as he ducked into the other room. He came back and placed her simple meal of fish and rice on the table along with a pair of chopsticks. She took a small bite and her eyes widened slightly. "Wow! This is great." Shigure nodded in agreement.

"Well, of course. Tohru is a wonderful cook," he said. "By the way, Ha'ri and Tohru went back to your house and got some of your things for you. I think Tohru put your bag on the stairs," he explained as the college senior gobbled down her breakfast.

"They found the spare key, didn't they?" she said between bites.

"Under the plant by the door? Yes," he confirmed. She sighed in disapproval of her own lack of creative ideas for hiding spots.

After finishing her breakfast Shigure gave her a quick tour of the house, showing her where she would be sleeping last: Tohru's room.

"Is that okay with her? I don't want to invade her space," Kumiko worried after he told her she would be rooming with the teen. He laughed.

"Tohru is more than happy to share her room with you. She even offered to take the floor so you could use her bed."

"She doesn't have to do that!" she exclaimed.

"That's what I told her you'd say."

When Shigure finished the tour, he left her alone to let her get cleaned up. After a very refreshing shower, she got dressed and took her time brushing through her long, black hair. Thankfully, someone (probably Tohru) had thought to grab her hairdryer. As she dried her hair she hummed quietly to herself, contemplating Shigure's offer the day before.

He asked me if I would stay here until I was done with school, she reviewed mentally. But, I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't need their charity; I'm a grown woman for goodness sake!

When her hair was dry, she quickly wove it into a braid and went back downstairs. She was surprised to hear three voices coming from inside the living room. Two she could identify as Shigure and Hatori, but the third was absolutely foreign to her. It was loud, low-pitched, and melodramatic. Curious, the young woman opened the door.

Her green eyes skipped over the familiar faces of Hatori and Shigure and right to the face of the third. The man's pale skin was off-set by his long white hair and yellow eyes. As if his shocking features weren't enough to set him apart, he wore a rather extravagant red robe. If she had to guess his age, she'd say he was about the same age as Shigure. Although she had never seen this stranger before, there was something familiar about him. The shape of his face, the texture of his hair, and the shape of his eyes all reminded her of someone, but who?

All conversation had stopped when Kumiko had entered the room. The stranger's yellow eyes grew wide when he saw her face. He was up and at her side in a matter of seconds, scrutinizing her.

"Gure! Shame on you for keeping this beauty all to yourself!" the man scolded Shigure loudly. "You too, Ha'ri! Why didn't anyone say anything?" he asked, exasperated.

"I did say something, Aaya!" Shigure defended. The young woman managed to recover from this unprovoked attack before anyone else said anything.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" she inquired confusedly. The man turned his gaze back to her.

"My apologies, my lovely songbird," he said with a low, sweeping bow. "My name is Ayame Sohma. I am Shigure and Hatori's cousin. It is an honor to meet you, Miss Kumiko Hishida." Ayame took her hand and brushed his lips against her fingertips. The black-haired young woman raised her eyebrows in surprise and a light blush swept across her cheeks.

"P-pleasure to meet you," she stammered, feeling flattered.

"Let's not give the girl a heart attack on top of everything else, okay Aaya?" Shigure suggested. The white-haired man let out a hardy laugh and rejoined the other Sohmas at the table. Kumiko did the same, sitting next to Hatori and across from Ayame.

"I'm sorry I startled you Kumiko," the dramatic man said.

"That's okay," she answered with a small laugh. "So Ayame, why the visit?" His eyes brightened.

"Well, when I stopped by Ha'ri's this morning he said he had some business to attend to. Naturally I didn't want to be left behind, so I decided to come along. I never imagined that he was coming to visit a woman! Surely Ha'ri was planning to whisk you away on some romantic outing!" he exclaimed.

"Ayame," Hatori reprimanded firmly. He sighed and turned his attention to the girl beside him. "I only came to check on you," he explained. Kumiko could sense his embarrassment. She laughed.

"Don't worry, I understand. I have two older brothers who like to tease me like that," she told him, as if Ayame wouldn't hear her. Hatori handed her a thermometer, which she promptly placed under her tongue.

"I assure you I'm not teasing Ha'ri!" Ayame replied. Hatori sent a subtle glare in his direction and he immediately moved on to another subject. Finally, the doctor was able to turn his attention to the reason he had come in the first place.

"Have you felt dizzy at all today?" he asked, as he read the thermometer. She shook her head 'no.' "You still have a slight fever. Just take it easy, alright?"

"Fine," she sighed. "How've you been, Hatori? Feeling okay?" He fumbled with his answer for a moment, knowing what she was referring to. She couldn't help but grin as she watched him think of a good answer. He's so cute when he's stumped, she thought absently. Wait, did I just—?!

"I…I've been fine," he replied, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh Gure, don't they make a lovely couple?" Ayame asked happily. Shigure touched his thumbs to his forefingers, creating a make-shift frame, and held it so that Kumiko and Hatori were in the middle.

"Just lovely!" he agreed teasingly.

"Oh boy," Kumiko groaned. "Hey, Shigure, can I use your computer to finish my paper?" she inquired suddenly. Their mischief stopped for a moment.

"Oh sure, it's in the room over there." He pointed to a door that was barely visible from where they sat. She gave him her thanks and left the three Sohmas to their own devices.

"Why, she's simply exquisite!" Ayame praised.

"Isn't she though?" the novelist replied. "You should hear her sing."

"Ha'ri, you've heard her sing," the dramatic man stated. "Is her voice really as wonderful as Shigure says?" Hatori studied his cousins' mischievous faces and thought carefully about his answer.

"Miss Hishida has a brilliant gift," he admitted. Despite his calculated answer, Ayame and Shigure launched into another fit of teasing. The physician put his face in his palm, deciding it was best if he just stopped talking.

Kumiko worked furiously for the next two hours to complete her paper. Although she had made very good progress, she still hadn't finished when Hatori interrupted her.

"You need to take a break," he told her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "You're going to make your fever worse."

"Five minutes?" she pleaded.

"No," he said with finality. She heaved a sigh of defeat and got up; standing too quickly. She suddenly felt dizzy and there was a pain at the front of her skull.

"Whoa," she said, putting a hand to her forehead and bracing herself against the wall. Hatori stepped forward and caught her shoulder and wrist, steadying her.

"Are you alright?" he asked calmly. She looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "It was just a head-rush." The young woman stood up straight and he released her. "See? I'm okay," she said, turning to the door that led to the porch and stepping outside into the sunshine. Hatori followed to keep an eye on her—or so he told himself.

Kumiko sat cross-legged on the hardwood deck and looked at her surroundings. The Sohma joined her, crossing his legs one over the other in a professional manner. If she had known him better, she would have laughed and commented on how formal he was being. Instead, she just smiled and continued to gaze out over the landscape.

"Miss Hishida?" Hatori inquired.

"Yeah?"

"I need to discuss something with you," he began.

"Okay…What is it?" she questioned hesitantly.

"I think that you should live here until you graduate." He gauged her reaction carefully, readying his argument. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Here we go," she sighed to herself.

"Just listen to what I have to say," he insisted. She turned to face him and kept quiet, waiting for him to continue. "If you stay here, you wouldn't have so much to deal with. You wouldn't have to work so much or worry about money as much as you have been. You could even focus more on school," he explained. "You parents wish you would stay here as well," he added quietly. She stiffened.

"How do you know that?" she asked suspiciously.

"While we were getting your things, I found your address book by the phone and thought that I should call them. I explained the whole situation," he stated.

"I can't believe you called my parents," she grumbled. He disregarded it.

"It would make everyone feel much better if you stayed here. It would be good for Tohru too; having an older girl around. Someone she could talk to," the doctor said.

"Hatori Sohma, are you trying to guilt me into staying?" she inquired severely.

"No," he defended, flustered. "I was only—" Kumiko grinned and put a hand on his shoulder to get him to look her in the eyes.

"Hatori, relax," the twenty-three-year-old told him with a laugh. "I was kidding." He looked relieved. Her hand fell back into her lap.

"Are you going to stay?" The seriousness returned to the atmosphere.

She thought for a moment. Hatori had made several good points and the only thing she had on her side was her pride. Was it fair to make everyone worry about her? Was it fair for her to allow herself to have this amount of stress? As much as she hated it, she knew the answer to both questions.

"I guess I will," she conceded reluctantly. At that moment, Kyo's angry shouts filled the air, signaling the arrival of the three resident teens. "Perfect timing."

A/N: Kya! So Kumiko met Aaya. That makes the whole Mabudachi Trio! I threw in a stuttering Ha'ri for Moda, since she loves it so. =3 Please leave me reveiws, they make me feel special. ^_^ Flamers...just, no...

-Camie