The Next morning, being a Saturday morning, there wasn't much Hatori could do as a Doctor. He wasn't rostered on for the hospital, and he had no patients appointed for the day. It was the first time in a long time he had a free Saturday.
Waking up from the sunlight seeping through the cracks of the curtains, Hatori sat up in bed and retrieved his watch from the bedside table. Looking at the glass face of it, he saw it was 6:00am. Old habits never die. It wasn't a surprise he was up this early in the morning.
Ruffling his hair, he pulled back the covers and walked over the shower where he refreshed himself for the morning.
Even though it was a weekend, Hatori still dressed in dress-shirt and dress-pants. Though he went with a more casual look and ditched the tie.
Walking around the house, he opened the curtains and the windows. He knew today would be a warm, winter day – as they were slowing changing from winter to spring.
Desare's morning was like no other. As soon as the rays of the sun hit her eyes, she groaned in protest. It was too early. But the sun wouldn't let her sleep. She groggily sat up in bed and rubbed her tired eyes. She sat there for a moment or so as she allowed her body to adjust to waking up. Looking over to her clock, she moaned in annoyance. "Awwhhh…'S'too early!" She sighed and got up to take her shower. She always felt refreshed after a shower.
For today, she chose a warm black sweater than emphasised the outline of her breasts and some loose fitting jeans that complimented the slight curves of her bum and thighs. She let her curly hair pool around her shoulders. She touched her morning face up with a little bit of makeup and stood back to assess herself in the mirror. She wasn't overly satisfied with her looks – having been told she was never pretty enough, but the face staring back at her was average looking, and would pass to be displayed in public.
Turning away from the mirror and walking out of the bathroom, she walked to her messy kitchen and opened the blinds to the window. Looking out of it, she saw Hatori opening his own blinds. His eyes locked with hers in brief surprise. She waved happily at him, to which she received a curt nod before walking away. She wasn't surprised she received a less than happy greeting from him. And she didn't mind. Everyone is different. But she couldn't help but wonder why he was up so early. Did he have a super early patient? Or did he wake up because he was used to do waking up so early?
Turning her head to look at the mess of the kitchen; boxes everywhere. She decided she really needed a coffee. And since the thought came into her head, she soon smelt the fresh brew of coffee beans. Biting her lip, she almost giggled like a school girl. Should she go over to Hatori's and have a coffee with him? No. That would be rude. She would never invite herself over.
Sighing in frustration that she couldn't have her morning coffee, she decided to go for a walk. She didn't feel like unpacking boxes today.
Stepping outside, she breathed in the warm air. Looking around, she wondered where to start her walk. She decided to take the route opposite of Hatori's residence. She would do a loop around and come past Hatori's house on her way back. With that in mind, she set her legs in motion and took a morning stroll around her new residence area. She admired the different sets of Gardens everyone had, suited to their own personal taste. There was nothing like this back in America.
She soon found herself walking outside Hatori's residence. Walking past, she looked up and saw him standing outside, overlooking his gardens in deep thought.
"Hatori!" Desare waved her arm excitedly as she grabbed his attention.
Hatori had taken his coffee outside, enjoying the cool but warm air in the quiet tranquillity of the morning. Staring at the mini garden he had, he thought back to memories of Kana showing him how to maintain certain plants. It was all because of that too-happy young woman he met yesterday that he was thinking back to Kana. He heard a shrill "Hatori!" interrupt the tranquil moment. Turning his head, his mind instantly grimaced. And speak of the devil.
He bowed politely, holding his coffee firmly as he did so. "Desare. One would assume you would be spending your time unpacking your luggage."
She smiled as Hatori greeted her and conversed with her, she took it as a sign that he welcomed her over. Whether he did or not, she would never know. She only went on her gut feeling. Walking over, she laughed softly. "It would help if I knew which box had my kettle in! Without my morning caffeine, I become the exact replica of a Zombie." She now stood beside him.
He was taken by surprise at her laugh. It was soft, and beautiful. It matched her smiling eyes. If she were a Zombie, like she said, she would definitely be the most beautiful Zombie he ever saw. "You don't look like a zombie, therefore I believe I don't have anything to fear."
Even though she didn't think he fully complimented her, she still blushed and looked down.
"Even better.." he started as she looked back up at him. "I have a kettle. Would you like to join me for another Coffee?" His heart was in the right place, his mind was elsewhere: Hatori, what do you think you're doing? You're going to get close to her. And you know what happens when you get close to someone? Remember the pain you put Kana through because of you?
Her happy voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "I would love to! Thank you so much!"
He waved her appreciation off with a swipe of his hand before motioning her to come inside.
Hatori turned his back to Desare before any pain could be seen in his eyes, as he led the way into the kitchen. Unfortunately for Hatori, Desare did see the pain in his eyes. I wonder what happened to cause him so much grief? Did someone die? Did I say or do something to trigger those memories? Desare's mind was reeling with possibilities and scenarios, but her cheerful demeanour on the outside covered up those thoughts.
Stepping inside, she followed him to the kitchen and let her eyes look around his house. "Wow. You're house is very neat and tidy!" she commented, receiving a look from Hatori, "Ah! I mean, most men I know don't bother keeping their houses tidy. So it's kind of refreshing to see a man with a tidy house!" Desare knew she was rambling but she couldn't help it. She didn't like the silence. Talking covered up her nervousness.
"No one has ever commented on my residence. Thank you." Hatori said politely, obviously not knowing how he should respond to such a compliment.
"Tea or Coffee?" he asked her, looking over his shoulder as he held a mug in his hand.
"Coffee please. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked him, holding her hands together, unsure if she was allowed to sit down at the table…she didn't know what to do! Being in the presence of such a man was overpowering her sensibility!
"I'm perfectly capable of making a simple coffee by myself, thankyou."
Desare's mouth opened in surprise, she didn't mean to offend him by suggesting he wasn't capable! "No! I-" but she was cut off when she saw him turn and his lips curled up slightly.
"Oh. You're joking." She laughed at herself, and at him. It was a poor attempt at a joke, but she welcomed the less iciness from him.
Hatori handed her the mug. He didn't mean to joke around with her. It just sort of…happened. There was something about this woman that just made him want to relax. But he couldn't. It wasn't proper and he would only go down that same narrow path he went down with Kana.
"Take a seat." He offered her, motioning towards the table.
"Oh. Thank you!" She said politely as she sat down and took a grateful sip of her coffee, welcoming the sweet yet savoury taste of her morning beverage.
She watched as Hatori sat down and took a gulp of his he newly refilled coffee.
"So, you're a doctor? How long have you been one?" she asked him, trying to make some conversation between the two; that, and well…she was generally interested in this man.
"For quite a long time. My Father was a doctor, and I just followed in his footsteps."
"But did you WANT to become a doctor?"
With his hands wrapped around the warmth of his mug and looked down into the coffee-brown liquid, contemplating how he should answer her question. He had to be careful in his choice of words as he didn't want anything to slip about his family's secret.
He wasn't forced, per se, to become a doctor. More so that the 'gift' he was possessed with was thrust upon him.
"As the famous saying by Shakespeare went; "Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. And others have greatness thrust upon them."I'm quite content with my profession and I certainly wouldn't have it any other way."
Desare smiled softly at his answer. She truly admired that he wasn't like any other ordinary male. He had taste and he had class. But then she thought about herself. She wasn't anything great. She was a nobody that people used. "My profession is no where near as great as yours." Was all she said.
"Your profession may not share the same strength as mine, however you do make a difference in peoples lives. As I recall, you're an English tutor, correct?" once he received a small nod from her in confirmation, he continued. "You give the ability for others to learn another language and for them to experience another culture. A former student of yours could be in America or Australia right now with an occupation such as a language interpreter for the police department or a Judge. The honour of such a profession they have chosen is because you gave them that ability to proceed further in life. No, I don't think your profession is of less value than mine."
Desare sat there in dumb silence. She never viewed her teaching in that aspect. She could have just melted hearing his words. Through his ice cold demeanour, he truly was the most kind-hearted person she could ever meet.
Both adults became silent until the front door banged open and a sing-song, "HA'RI! We're hoo-oome!" and a "Tori!"
Hatori locked eyes with Desare momentarily before looking past her shoulder towards the kitchen doorway. He wasn't looking forward to this. He wanted the English tutor to know as little of the family as possible; but it would be hard with these two hooligans hanging around.
Not to mention, the crude remarks they would drop once they saw he had a female guest who obviously wasn't his patient.
"I'm in the kitchen." He sighed out as he waited for the two other adults to appear.
"Ha'ri! I—oh.. I didn't realise you had a guest." Said the man with dark hair as he walked in the kitchen and leant against the sink behind Hatori. "What a pretty thing she is! Is she you're version of a 'Tohru' because you can't have one?" Hatori remained silent for a moment as he allowed his temper to cool at bay. Not only was he annoyed, he was embarrassed as well. "Oh! What's that? You WERE thinking of a 'Tohru' version for yourself! I knew it! Oh, you naughty, naughty, man you!" the dark haired man giggled immaturely.
"No. I was simply too amazed by your stupidity to say anything." Came the quick yet harsh reply from Hatori.
Desare almost spat in her cup as she took a gulp of coffee as Hatori finally spoke to the man.
"Pay no mind to those two, my ravishing princess! We've all been friends since highschool! And of course, he hasn't learnt any manners since then either. I am Ayame Sohma. Cousin of Hatori, and Shigure; which is this man here!" Ayame said as gaily danced over to Shigure.
"Oh no! Hatori is quite the gentleman!" she was quick to defend his lack of manners – she never thought was being rude at all by not introducing them. Standing up she bowed politely. Her blonde curls falling around her shoulders. "I'm Desare Bellamy. English Tutor of Momiji. I live next door and had no coffee this morning. Hatori was kind enough to allow me my morning beverage."
"An honour to make your acquaintance, Mon Cherie." Ayame bowed dramatically.
"Indeed." Shigure curtsied somewhat.
She turned to Hatori and bowed to him specifically. "Thank you so much for the morning coffee and the company. I might just have the energy to unpack my boxes today! Please excuse me."
"I'll walk you to the door."
As the two left the kitchen, they left behind his cousins who shared a look with each other. It was a look of concern and hope. Concern that Hatori will hurt himself further, yet hope that he finally had gotten over Kana and able to move on. He had been long out of love for quite a while and led a lonely life since then.
"It's probably a wise decision you leave now. They can be rather overwhelming.
And intrusive – I do apologise for their sudden appearance this morning."
She laughed softly as she stood outside his verandah. "Oh no, that's okay. They're actually quite adorable. But I must thank you for this morning. It was nice. I hope we can do it again sometime…?" she bit her lip, as she practically asked for another date-like meeting from him. Oh how it was role-reversal.
"Yes. That would be nice. Until next time." He bid her good day and watched her walk away. Turning back into his residence, he prepared himself for the onslaught of his cousins.
Desare entered her house and closed the door behind her. She placed a hand over her heart, which was beating quite wildly against her chest. She never asked anyone out before! "Oh my." She said aloud. She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly; as she adjusted to this new nervous feeling – like she was a school girl asking her crush out on a date. Sighing, she scanned around the room of her many boxes. No time like the present to start unpacking. And so, her day begun.
"She's cute." Was the first thing Hatori heard as he walked back in the kitchen to find his two cousins and best friends making themselves at home with a mug each of coffee.
"We were merely having coffee. Nothing more will become of our interaction."
He told them sternly as he sat back down at the table and resumed his coffee. He couldn't help but miss that female interaction he had with Kana. No matter how hard he had tried to close off those painful memories, they would always be there.
"But you're more than willing to play Doctor, aren't you 'Tori?" Ayame asked half serious but half joking.
"Should she require a Doctor's perspective on her health, then yes, I will admit I will be her likely candidate; seeing as how she lives next door. As I said before, I have only just made her acquaintance and nothing more will become of it." His green eyes glared at the snake.
"You know, Ha'ri.." Shigure started in a serious manner, one Hatori only heard every so often. When he heard it, he always allowed the Dog his full attention. "There's nothing to be ashamed of if you want to move on with another woman. Kana would want you to be happy."
Hatori looked down at his coffee, "I heard she had gotten married…?"
Shigure and Ayame shared a look, their eyes asking Should we tell him?
Ayame was the first to speak. "Yes. I wanted you to steal her away from her idiot fiancé and you could live happily together for the rest of your lives. I would have told you this sooner but Shigure stopped me from doing so!"
"No. It's over between Kana and I. I wish her nothing but success in her future endeavours and happiness in her now found love." Pain flicked in his eyes but he avoided his gaze from his two cousins by staring down at his coffee, as though the coffee-brown liquid was quite fascinating.
"You're much more forgiving than I am!" Ayame said seriously, causing Hatori to look up and listen to what he had to say. "It's one of the qualities I admire about you…but it's also the reason why you suffer so much more than you have to."
"It appears so."
A new love. That could be more than Hatori could realistically hope for. That could be more than any of those cursed with the Zodiac could hope for. And when he thought about, wasn't it enough that he had a love like Kana's? If only for a short while? Is that not more than he already deserved?
For now, the best thing he could do is keep watch over the others and hope that they wont come to know the same suffering as he has.
As the Mabudachi Trio sat in silence for a while, thinking about the past, Hatori frowned, wondering why they were over so early. "You're frowning. Is something upsetting you?" Shigure asked, keeping a close eye on his friend, as he was concerned they had dredged up memories for him.
"No, I'm just wondering why you two are over here so early." He told the dog as he pushed his now empty mug aside.
"Can't we visit an old friend?" Shigure grinned sheepishly.
"You may. But there's always a reason behind most visits. What is it this time that you had to drag Ayame along as well?"
Shrugging, Shigure gave Hatori his answer, "We just wanted to check out the new English Tutor. We heard she was American…and well…you know what they say about American women."
"Why is it that whenever you open your mouth, it reeks of something illegal?"
Shigure laughed and stood up, "Well, Aya? We have a busy day ahead of. I don't want even one minute to be wasted away when I'm with you."
"Oh 'Gure! I know what you mean, mon amore!" ayame replied with a dramatic flair.
"Je'Taime!" Shigure mirrored Ayame's flirtatious flair.
"Don't you two ever stop?" Hatori asked lightly as he cleared the mugs away and followed his cousins to his front door.
Ayame had bid him good day before leaving and heading towards the gates.
Shigure turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making Hatori to narrow his eyes in concern. "Shigure, being serious is quite uncharacteristic of you."
"Hatori. Listen to an old friend for once, eh? Don't close your heart off completely." He gave Hatori's shoulder a squeeze and turned to leave before turning back to look over his shoulder. "Oh, and wear a condom!" Shigure laughed as he ran off after Ayame.
Hatori sighed and walked back inside. He thought about what to do and looked over to a single photograph in the distant room. Kana. He always worked under the watchful eyes of Kana. Sighing, he knew he had a lot of paperwork to catch up on. And why not complete it whilst he had the day off? Walking over this office, he yanked his office chair out from underneath the desk and sat down. Positioning himself at his desk, he reached for his files and opened one of them, beginning his paperwork. A nice warm breeze filtered in through his open door to the gardens where he had first met Desare this morning.