With Tohru & Gang:
Hatori just pulled into Tohru's surprise when he got a surprise of his own.
"What is this?" Hatori asked, slightly annoyed, looking out the front window to see a crap ton of balloons, streamers, and sigh that read:
Welcome Tohru—& everyone else!
Paradise awaits just beyond these gates!
& together, Ayame & Hatori will be our guides to everything fun!
Woohoo!
Yay!
"Do you like it? I set it up with Haru and Ayame!" Momiji excitedly declared.
"What is all this?" Hatori asked, eyes twitching.
"This is Tohru's surprise!" Momiji excitedly answered.
"Why am I guide to anything? I've never been to this place before; I don't know my way around it." Hatori asked and then stated, annoyed.
"That's why I'm here! Oh, Ha-San; it'll be a fantastic adventure! I only wish Gure was here to enjoy this with us. Oh, the shame." Ayame enthusiastically declared before becoming dramatic.
"It'll be ok. I have all of you with me; that's all that matters." Tohru politely spoke up.
"Jeez…" Hatori mumbled.
"It's about damn time you all got here." Kagura growled, walking over with Rin, Kazuma, Kisa, and Hiro.
"Tohru!" Kisa happily called, running to Tohru to hug her.
"Kisa!" Tohru called just as happy to see Kisa.
"What is it with that damn girl?" Hiro mumbled.
"What would you like to do first? We have the park all to ourselves for the next few hours!" Momiji happily announced.
"Yes, come, Ha-San! Lead the way!" Ayame ordered with his hand in the air, finger pointing down.
"Shut up. Jeez… Follow me." Hatori grumbled, leading the way into the park, followed by the others.
"How about the rollercoaster?" Haru asked, watching a 250' tall rollercoaster go over their heads.
"Umm! No, thank you!" Tohru spazzed.
"I'll go on the coaster with you!" Momiji exclaimed, leading the way, followed by Haru, Kyo, Kagura, and Ayame. Tohru, Kisa, Hiro, and Rin went to the teacups while Hatori sat on a bench, watching the sky with a cigarette in his mouth.
"What's on your mind, Hatori?" Kazuma asked, sitting next to Hatori.
"I don't know." Hatori answered, closing his eyes.
"You don't know what's on your own mind?" Kazuma asked, perplexed.
"No. In general—with all this—whatever this is with Tohru and the rest of the family. I don't know. It feels wrong in some way or another. It feels like I need to follow a different direction or something. It feels like something or someone else is calling out to or for me—like they need help or something. Don't get me wrong or anything; I love Tohru, I do. And I did have fun with her, I did. But I don't know. It just doesn't feel right." Hatori admitted to Kazuma, feeling comfortable and safe with him; he felt he could tell him anything and everything at any given time.
"Do you plan to stop what's going on with your family and Tohru?" Kazuma asked, watching Hatori.
"No. I will not take away any of their happiness. Just because I don't feel it's right for me, doesn't mean it's not for them. Who am I to take away their happiness? And as I said, I do love Tohru—but I feel someone else is calling and needs me. I've had my fun with Tohru—and I may have one more time with her, but after that—I think I'm done." Hatori told Kazuma, looking from the sky to the teacups where the girls and Hiro were spinning and having a good time.
"Well, Hatori—you do what you have to do; do what makes you happy." Kazuma told Hatori in all his great wisdom.
"You're a smart guy. What do you know—about Jun?" Hatori asked, watching Kazuma.
"He's an old friend of mine. Yes, he seems like a shady guy. But trust me when I say, he's really not, and only has your and the family's best interest in mind. He is a good guy. But that's not what you want to know, is it? You want to know if he has secrets. The simple answer is, yes. Yes, he has secrets. But who doesn't? Hatori, don't worry about Jun, take care your family and yourself. And for God's sake: listen to what your heart, mind, and gut are telling you because they're usually always right." Kazuma answered, not flinching—not even a twitch of the eyes. Hatori couldn't tell if he was being sneaky or genuine; he felt he was both.
"What? 99.9%?" Hatori asked, looking at Kazuma.
"No. I'd say about 95.5%." Kazuma answered with a smile.
"Uh. Because you're family—and I love and trust you so much; I'll leave whatever it is you're hiding alone. Though, with that said; I know you're up to something—and hiding it. And I have a feeling it has to do with Jun." Hatori calmly but firmly told Kazuma.
Still nothing. Kazuma sat there, smiling his usual polite smile, not twitching in any way.
"Hey! Where to next?" Kagura called, running over with Ayame.
"And Hatori, you can't be such a stick in the mud; you have to join in the fun as well!" Ayame scolded.
"Where are the boys?" Hatori asked, watching Kagura and Ayame.
"They're still riding the rollercoaster." Ayame answered, watching Hatori; he noticed the confliction in his face.
"It's like fourth time they've gone on!" Kagura complained.
"I'm going to take a nap in the car. Just wake me up when it's time to go home." Kazuma told everyone with a smile, standing up
"Ok. Are you feeling ok?" Kagura asked, concerned.
"I am. I'm just tired." Kazuma answered before walking away.
"Hey, where's Master going?" Tohru asked when she, Kisa, Hiro, and Rin walked over.
"He said he's going to take a nap; he's tired." Kagura answered.
"Hey. What's next?" Haru calmly asked, walking over with Kyo and Momiji.
"How about the Swing-Go-Round?" Kisa suggested, looking left.
"That sounds like a fun idea!" Tohru happily agreed.
"Well, come on!" Momiji and Kagura demanded, dragging Tohru and Kyo along. Haru, Rin, Kisa, and Hiro followed along while Ayame stayed back with Hatori.
"Why'd you stay back? You'd normally be all over the swings." Hatori stated, watching Ayame.
"I wanted to know what was wrong; you seem—off. What's going on?" Ayame asked, concerned.
"I don't know, Aya—I just don't know. As I told Kazuma, I love Tohru—but I'm not in love with her. I will not stop you or the others; I will not put an end to any of your happiness. I just can't do it anymore—I can't keep making Tohru have sex with me. Granted, yes, I know she's willing, and I'm forcing her. It's just—I feel like I'm being pulled elsewhere; I feel like there's someone else out there for me. I think—I may have sex with Tohru once more, but then I'm done. I just can't handle or do this—whatever this is—anymore. DO NOT tell the others—especially Shigure." Hatori told Ayame, warning him at the end.
"I hear you." Ayame replied, sighing in relief, looking up at the sky.
"What do you mean?" Hatori asked, watching Ayame.
"I mean, I don't want to do any of this anymore either—well, maybe another time or two, but that's it. I want to be with and start a family with Mine. Tohru is a fine princess, but Mine is my queen. Honestly, the only reason I'm doing this is so that Tohru can't ever leave our family. I think that's why most of us are doing this; none of us want to lose Tohru. We all want her to stay—need her to stay. But eventually, we'll all only need one singular lover. Everyone has that one person they love and cherish more than anybody else in the entire world." Ayame answered Hatori before going on to explain seriously.
"Wow. That was very insightful. Who knew you could be…" "And even after we find our one true loves, we'll bring them into the family. We'll teach and get them used to our customs and as time goes on, they'll be fucking every willing cursed family member! Hahahaha!" "And there's the Ayame I know…" Hatori started, stunned by Ayame's sudden matureness—until Ayame interrupted him. Then he just groaned, shaking his head as Ayame pranced away.
"Damnit, Ayame; that was close! What the hell were you thinking?!" Jun yelled at Ayame over the phone.
"Oh, relax; I knew exactly what I was doing, Sir. Hatori needs to know he has someone he can count on—someone he can go to. He needs someone who understands how he's feeling. I know not to give out important information. I was just giving him my opinion; he needs someone." Ayame replied to Jun.
"I suppose… Though, from now on—STAY ON TRACK! YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO!" Jun yelled, beyond annoyed.
"Do you think it was wise to allow some of them to know the truth?" Ayame heard Chihiro in the background; he sounded bored.
"I'm starting to second guess that." Jun told Chihiro.
"Hey! I resent that! I'm doing an amazing job—as are the others. Although, I'd talk to Kazuma: Hatori's starting suspect him." Ayame informed Jun and Chihiro.
"I suppose you're right; you and the other, have been working just fine. As for Kazuma: don't worry about him; he knows what he's doing." Jun replied.
"Is something wrong, Sir? You seem distracted. Did something happen with you-know-who?" Ayame asked, becoming serious again.
"Yes. But that's need to know only. But because I know you well enough: yes, it's why Hatori is changing his mind and becoming suspicious of certain things. You needn't worry; if it comes down to it, Chihiro and I will take care of things with Hatori. Disruptions and changes have happened. A precise date isn't set, but you-know-who is going to be released sooner than planned." Jun explained.
"Won't that mean more difficulties for you-know-who?" Ayame asked, concerned.
"Her or She. Just say "Her" or "She." This "you-know-who" crap is starting to get on my nerves. Sorry. This is just a little frustrating. Yes, she will have more or stronger issues. But it won't be anything Hatori won't be able to handle. We need to be careful as not to have anymore large disruptions or changes. Let the others know; tell them everything we've just discussed. But make sure no one else is around. If you want to keep Mine around, everything needs to go according to the rest of the plan. There are two more changes you and the others need to know about. Hatori will not be taking part of the New Year's Ritual; he will be doing his part early—as in in just a little bit. That does not mean he won't dream about taking Tohru's virginity; that's still going to happen. And it's time for them to find them." Jun told Ayame before hanging up.
Ayame - Mine, Shigure, Rin, _?_, _?_, & _?_
~We need to have a meeting tonight~
~It's of the utmost importance & non-negotiable~
~Jun & Chihiro's orders~
~My store 9:00 PM~
With Hatori & Tohru:
"Hatori, is everything ok?" Tohru asked Hatori, concerned, noticing he was sitting on the bench, just staring at the sky.
"No, everything's no ok. We need to talk—now. And in private." Hatori firmly answered Tohru—and the others.
"Ok. Of course." Tohru replied, unsure, but happily complied, following Hatori to a small, quiet, private area where no one could bother them…
AN:
_?_, _?_, & _?_ are for you to think about & try to guess who the other 3 who know the truth.