In a Fruits Basket - Chapter 7: Frozen

Recap:

Crap, I missed it! I missed that moment with Yuki and gave it to Mai!


I opened the door, feeling the wind blowing through my hair, and hitting me, like a hard slap on the face. It was freezing.

"Hurry, let's go." I ordered, wiping the side of my mouth. A snowflake. One of the first to fall from the sky.

"Why can't we tell them about it?" Mai asked, throwing on her jacket.

"Because Hatori said so," I replied, tying the laces on my boots. "Now come on."


We walked down the road for what seemed like fifteen minutes or so. I watched the puff of frost disintegrate into the air every time I exhaled. I rubbed my hands together, then shoved them up my underarms.

"It's cold today." Mai said, breathing into her hands.

I nodded in agreement. "I think we're here."

We stopped and looked at the enormous wooden doors infront of us. It looked like the doors to a castle, with golden handles and large trees surrounding it.

"Hi!" Momiji said from the other side. "You're just in time. Let yourself in, come in, come in!" He smiled excitedly.

"Wow, it's huge!" Mai exclaimed.

"Welcome to the house of Sohma!" Momiji grinned.

We looked around in awe. It seemed even bigger on the inside! Houses were placed along the border, decorated with delicate paper lanterns, with lush, cherry blossom trees on every front lawn. All seemed calm and peaceful inside. There wasn't any other person in sight.

"Come on, this way!" Momiji said, his face only inches away from mine. He smiled. "I'll show you the rest of the way to Ha'ri's house!"

He took our hands. Mai replied, "Alright," and followed him.

"Didn't Yuki tell you what Hatori was capable of doing to us? How can you be so calm?" I whispered in her ear.

She turned to face me and gave me a weak smile.


"Please relax. Make yourself comfortable." Hatori greeted us and slid open a door, showing off the beautiful Japanese garden outside.

Mai and I kneeled beside each other and exchanged looks. I gave her a small nod and mouthed out, "It's okay."

I looked around at his office. He had a desk, filled with papers that were neatly placed on top of one another. There were shelves behind it, with books and a picture of a beautiful women, dressed in a pale blue dress. Her lips were gently curled, with her short, brown hair blowing in the breeze. Her eyes were so kind. It was Kana, Hatori's love. A small wooden clock sat on his desk. The two golden bells attached to it swung back and forth. The steady rhythm echoed in my mind.

Tick, tick, tick, tick...

Others would find this sound relaxing, or calming. I thought of it as a time bomb, just seconds away from going off.

Tick, tick, tick tick...

"Even within the Sohma family itself, there are few who know our secret in regard to the Zodiac," Hatori explained, taking a seat. His dark brown hair fell over his left eye, with only his right staring back at us.

"It is exceedingly rare for an outsider such as yourself to come learn of it," he added.

Be careful with Hatori. He's gone through so much because of the curse. I nervously bit the inside of my cheek, until I tasted blood.

Tick, tick, tick, tick...

The bomb was going to go any second now.

"Ordinarily, this would have been corrected at once," he said. I tried not to gasp. "But thus far, it seems Akito has made an exception in your case." He looked off into the distance. "Tell me, do you enjoy living there, in Shigure's house?"

"Yes," Mai and I replied together.

"All the more reason that you should leave," he answered. His words made my heart drop to my stomach. "It would be best for you if you had nothing further to do with the Sohmas. Leave Shigure's house and return to your own family. It's only reasonable, is it not? Now Shigure, I doubt he would ever say anything to you, but there are many dark secrets within the house of Sohma."

It seemed like the ticking sound stopped. Everything was frozen - frozen from fear. The bomb went off.

"Before you come to regret being involved with the Sohmas. Leave," he repeated.

"Say, Ha'ri, I want to take them outside to show the garden. That's okay, right?" Momiji said, standing up. "I'll show you my favourite spot."

Without another word, the door shut behind us, leaving a sad-looking Hatori standing by the shelf, where the picture of Kana was placed.


"Did you know that Ha'ri can barely see out of his left eye?" Momiji asked, sitting down on the porch in front of the garden.

"That's sad to hear," Mai said softly.

"Ha'ri had a girlfriend once, Kana. She worked as his assistant for a while, and I remembered she was really nice." He wrapped his arms around his knees. "When she found out about Ha'ri and the Zodiac curse, it didn't even bother her! She just laughed about it."

His voice dropped to a hush. "They got engaged, and they were going to get married, but when they told Akito, well, he got really, really angry, and he said that he wasn't going to allow it. I guess his temper got out of control because, that's when he hurt Ha'ri's eye. But Ha'ri didn't blame him though, but Kana... She blamed herself."

"Oh no..." Mai gasped silently.

Momiji continued to tell us the tragic story of Hatori and Kana. It was strange hearing such a sad tale from such a sweet voice, but the boy's eyes were cold, like he was used to it... To seeing loved ones harmed by the curse. He went on, "He erased Kana's memories. He couldn't stand to watch her tear herself apart over him. So made her forget that the two of them had ever been in love." He paused and thought it over. "Kana left, Ha'ri cried. And in spite of all of that, he never once blamed Akito."

"W-why?" I asked.

"Well, because that's the curse," he replied simply.

"And this is why he erases people's memories?" Mai added, leaning forward.

"He doesn't want them to be hurt, the same way she was," he answered.

"Poor..." I murmured, "Poor Hatori. He's so... I feel so sorry."

Mai bit her lip and quickly wiped away a tear. "I was so worried about coming here, I was so afraid of him. But now, we know that he's doing this because he cares. He just wanted to help. He's being so kind, but he's the one who's really suffering on the inside. He's the one who should be helped, comforted..." She sniffed, and sighed. "Sorry."

Momiji looked at us in surprise, then smiled warmly. "I'll get something to warm us up. I'll be right back. You can go inside if you want!" He ran off.

"Mai," I sighed, and wiped the side of my mouth. Another snowflake landed on my face. "It's snowing."

We turned around. Mai slightly gasped. "Hatori."

Hatori looked back at us, his eyes widened. We both bowed. Then I spoke up. I pouted my lips a bit. "Hatori... We're so sorry. About Kana."

"It's..." He paused. "It's all in the past. Now, if you would be so kind to excuse me -"

"Wait, Hatori," Mai said, reaching for him. "Maybe you could-"

She lost her footing and tumbled over, falling into the rock gardens. It all happened slowly, like time stopped, and we were frozen. Hatori dove for her, pulled her closer to him, and in mid-air, caught her. She landed on top of him and he broke her fall. They landed, causing the snow around them to go flying into the air.

"Mai! Hatori!" I called out and jumped next to them.

"Hatori, I'm so-" Mai yelped.

Under her was no longer Hatori. It was a sea horse.


The soft sound of the two bells swaying back and forth hung in the air, filling the silence with its gentle ringing. I finally was able to calm down a bit.

Hatori transformed back into a human shortly after we carried him back inside. His eyes were closed, as he lay motionless under a few blankets and out jackets.

I sat next to him and stared at him. I brushed his hair away from his eyes. He had a handsome face, I will admit that, but he also had delicate features. A thin nose, pointed chin, and prominent cheekbones. It was only the serious look he always wore that made his features seem hard. But he looked so peaceful at the moment. I wondered what his eyes looked like up close. I looked at his left eye lid. There were barely any visible signs of what happened to it before, except for a faint scar across. You could only see it if you searched really closely...

I felt like such a creep!

I stood up and walked to Mai, who was gazing into the picture of Kana. I placed a hand on her shoulder. She sighed, "She's... pretty. It's so sad, what Hatori has to go through. I don't want him to deal with it."

"I hope he finds someone who will make him even happier," I commented.

I nodded, then heard Hatori shift in his sleep. He sat up, causing the blanket to fall, revealing his bare chest.

"Hatori!" I exclaimed, "We apologize. We're not doctors like you, so we didn't know whether to put our jackets on you or not. We know they're not the cleanest, so we're sorry, but you had to keep warm."

"I'm sorry I caused so much trouble. Thank you for catching me," Mai added and bowed her head slightly.

"Did it shock you to see?" he simply asked.

"No, we covered you up just in time," I replied, feeling my face flush. I always seemed to get those questions wrong. I corrected myself. "You mean you're Zodiac form? Actually, no, not really."

"I didn't know the sea horse was part of the Zodiac," Mai said.

"Ah," he paused, "no. Actually, I'm the dragon of the Zodiac. The animal I transform into seems quite weak compared to its name."

I passed him his clothes and gave him a timid smile. "It's alright, we're just glad you're okay."


After he was dressed, we stood together, watching the snow fall.

"Oh, right, sorry. Here," Mai suddenly said, and gave Hatori the picture of Kana. "I took it without permission."

He nodded and held the picture tightly. He stared at the picture, then outside. "Tell me," he began, his voice cold and deep. "When the snow melts, what does it become?"

"It becomes... It becomes spring, doesn't it?" Mai guessed.

My jaw dropped. Wow... She actually got it right! I added on to her answer. "It's a new season, a new beginning." The snowflakes danced with the wind, swirling around, and gently landing on the ground. Some started to land in our hair.

"Winter's a lovely season and all, but the cold weather has to stop some time and melt, right? So when the snow melts, we get spring." I smiled, and brushed some snow off my hair. "Oh, hey, are you cold, Hatori?" I asked, after noticing he wasn't wearing a jacket.

But his eyes widened. Maybe he took it another way. He thought of himself as the snow, being cold as ice. Without spring, the world turned cold. Without Kana, he was just frozen.

"Would you like to borrow my jacket? I know it might be small for you, but you could put it around your shoulders," I added, smiling.

Hatori's face softened a bit. He actually smiled a bit, too. I gazed into his eyes. They were a soft, olive colour. But you could see the sadness in his eyes, the sadness he was trying to hide. I quickly turned so he wouldn't notice.


"Haha! Sorry I took so long!" Momiji ran up to us, holding an armful of drinks.

"There you girls are." Shigure smiled and passed us a can. He called out, "Ha'ri." He tossed one at Hatori.

Hatori effortlessly turned and caught it with one hand. "So what brings you here?" he asked.

"I suddenly had this feeling that my flowers were here and needed my rescue," Shigure joked. "Call it a writer's intuition, if you will."

"That's a lie." Hatori replied, "You only came to see the New Year's preparations, didn't you?"

"Don't let them bother you, these two have been friends since they were kids." Momiji grinned.


"Well, I see how today might've been stressful for you girls." Shigure sighed, as we walked out. "Now that it's over, Hatori not bad of a guy, is he?"

"No, he's very nice." Mai and I smiled. A white bird flew past us. Mai watched it glide, and turned around to look some more. She gasped slightly and pulled me back. "Arya?" She choked out.

"Yes?" I replied softly, facing her.

My eyes widened. My heart started to hammer against my ribs. She saw him too, right? A man with black hair, was leaning against the window. He was dressed in thick robes and had pale skin. It was Akito. For that split second, I thought he saw us staring at him. He stood up and walked away. A small bell chimed and the ringing sound hung in the empty air. It made me shiver. It was like the bomb-feeling all over again.

Tick, tick, tick...


The winter season came and went. It was already the end of December and everyone was preparing for New Year's.

"Hey!" Arisa shouted and smiled. "What a nice day for cleaning, huh?" She waved, then stuck on her white doctor's mask as she walked in the house.

"Hello Arya. Nice to see you," Saki said. Her dark hair was down, and spilled down her shoulders like a waterfall. The cloak she wore made her look even more ominous.

"Thanks for coming, guys," I replied and tied a bandana around my head.

"I sense an unclean bathroom," Saki said, jerking her head.

"Well," I sighed, "you can clean that if you'd like..." And she was off, her cloak gracefully flowing behind her.

"Hey," Kyo said, slightly frowning.

"Hey," Arisa replied plainly. Her eyes lit up as Mai walked in. "Oh, Mai!"

"What's going on, Uo?" Mai exclaimed. "Where's Hana?"

"Cleaning the bathrooms."

"Already?" She chuckled.

Yuki stepped in and added, "We better get started then!"


I pouted, "Kyo! That's not right."

He snapped his head back, "What?"

I pointed at the wooden table he was cleaning. "You're supposed to dust, then polish! Not the other way around!"

"What's the difference?" he asked harshly.

"I- I actually don't know. But I'm correct, that's for sure!" I said.

He laughed slightly. "Whatever."

"I can help you if you want," I offered.

"Eh -"

I didn't let him finish and just started to dust. I gave him a smile. "I dust. Follow me and you'll polish."

He gave me an odd look, then nodded. "Okay."


"Phew!" I sighed, wiping my forehead with my bandana. "We're finally done!"

"Not bad," Kyo said, approving our work. He sucked his teeth.

"Now we should move those cabinets." I told him, "I'll get Yuki to help." I ran out, finding Yuki and Mai laughing. They were fixing the paper doors, while Arisa dusted. I felt my blood boil.

"You need to have a steady hand when you paste it. See?" Mai smiled and placed another sheet of paper.

"You're good at this, Mai," Yuki replied. "Hm... Like -" He adjusted the paper. "Like this?"

"Nice job! You're not too bad yourself!" She grinned.

I walked in, trying not to accidentally stomp.

"Hi!" Mai greeted me.

Ignoring her, I faced Yuki. "Kyo needs some help moving the furniture," I explained, throwing my thumbs over my shoulder.

"Stupid cat," Yuki muttered and got up to help him.

"Where's Shigure?" Mitsuru said, suddenly rushing up to us.

Mitsuru was Shigure's editor. She had brown hair that was in a pixie-cut, with brown eyes and pale skin. She was dressed in a fitted, blue blazer and skirt. She wore ruby red studs in her ears that sparkled in the sunlight. She was quite the... energetic woman, but as the editor of someone like Shigure, I couldn't blame her.

"Shigure?" Mai asked, "What did he do now?"

"Not 'what did he do'. It's what he didn't do! He needs to work on his manuscript!" She exhaled.

"Procrastinating again?" I sighed. The editor closed her eyes, bit her lip, and nodded. "Sorry, haven't seen him," I said.

She called out his name multiple times. "Shigure!" She stormed off into the next room.

"You're going to drop it!" I heard Kyo yell.

"Just hold on!" Yuki snapped. The two walked in, carrying a bookshelf. Their faces were flushed, and sweat dripped off their brows.

"Lend us a hand!" Kyo choked out.

"Right!" Mai and I said, grabbing a side.

"Thanks." Yuki sighed and we carefully brought it outside.

"Alright, time to dust and polish again, Arya," Kyo said, shoving a dust cloth at me.

"But -" I began.

"Well," Mai brushed the dirt off her knees. "I"m going to go shop for tonight's dinner."

"I'll go with you," Yuki said.

"Yes, me too!" Shigure suddenly popped in. Mitsuru followed and fiercely grabbed Shigure by the collar, and dragged him away. "Oh, sorry, Mai. Something's come up. Maybe next time," Shigure cried.

"Whatever, see you guys," Kyo said, waving.

"We'll be back soon." Mai smiled and grabbed her purse. Yuki nodded and got out his jacket. Everything was happening too fast. Why did Mai always have these moments with Yuki? It wasn't fair.

"No!" I blurted out, "No, I'll go!"

Yuki and Mai froze, giving me a confused look. I clapped my hands over my mouth and turned a beet red.