Disclaimer: Fruits Basket, the Souma Clan, and Honda Tohru belong to Natsuki Takaya-sama. I live only to glorify Furuba.

Ore no Haru

Unang Kabanata

By hitokiritomoe

Souma Kana took a deep breath, resolutely squared her shoulders and knocked on the sliding door.

"Come in," a male voice called weakly from inside.

She hesitated. The voice that invited her in certainly was weak, but then there was an undertone of… of what?

"Come in, Kana-san," the voice said a bit more loudly.

Spite, she thought as she pushed the sliding door and entered the sparsely illuminated room. And anger, and a heavy burden.

She saw a thin man leaning on the wall, wearing a yukata, his eyes searching the distance beyond the space above Souma Kana's left shoulder. Then his eyes met hers, and his lips curved into a smile. Kana took a step back. Somehow, the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Malevolence was the only emotion that seemed to register in those deep magenta eyes.

"Good afternoon, Kana-san,"

She clumsily went down on her knees and bowed down her head. "Akito-san."

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I do not have strength enough to open the windows. Would you do it for me, Kana-san? The room is so dark that I must be scaring you."

Kana went to the windows and opened one.

"That one window is enough," Akito said from his position, sitting on the floor behind her, "too many open windows will make me catch cold."

The room lightened considerably and as Kana turned around to face the master of the Souma Family, she felt somehow that everything looked… familiar. Beside her there was a low table and she somehow knew that there would be a rose pattern on the right side of it, away from her right now. She walked slowly towards the table. And there she saw it. The rose pattern. Tentatively, she reached out a hand—

"Kana-san?"

She quickly withdrew her hand and turned to face Akito.

"What's the matter?" his face grew concerned so that she felt guilty for thinking bad thoughts about him earlier.

Déjà vu. "N-nothing."

He smiled then, a smile that was so gentle she couldn't believe she ever thought him malevolent. "Come sit beside me, then."

She timidly took a step, and nervously sat down beside him.

"I rarely get new visitors," he said quietly.

She kept her head down as a sign of respect, not really knowing what to say.

"You are… getting married?"

She looked up then, and saw that his face had lost none of its sweetness. Thinking it was a go sign, she essayed a smile.

"Yes. In two months."

"Is that so? Are you… happy?" and here his eyes flashed, but only for a second that Kana didn't catch it, surprised as she was for being asked such a question.

"I…yes. I-I guess I am."

A long silence followed so that she thought her host had fallen asleep.

"A… ano, Akito-san?"

"Hmm?"

"I… I was wondering why I was called here all of a sudden? I… I didn't think you knew I even existed.

He laughed then. But there was no humor in his laughter. Each syllable felt like an ice shard going through her heart. She grew nervous.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Akito said once he stopped laughing. "I was so rude. I didn't tell you the reason for your being here."

He stood up and went to the window, leaning on the railing. Kana faced his back, still sitting, her heart thumping in her chest. Something wasn't right.

"The truth is… I have a favor to ask of you."

When she didn't say anything, he continued.

"Hatori. He needs an assistant. You are going to be that assistant for the next two months before your wedding."

"A…ano—"

"That is all. You may go."

"Yes."

She turned to go, but before she could close the door after her, Akito's voice floated out after her.

"Kana-san?"

She turned to him. Now there was no mistaking the malice in his eyes. She took a step back, and her back pressed against the half-opened door.

"Thank you for coming to visit me again."

oOo

"I'm back!" Honda Tohru called as she entered Shigure's house.

"Welcome back," Shigure greeted her with his usual smile.

"Ah! Hatori-san!"

Hatori looked up as he was about to sip his tea. He nodded. "Honda-kun."

"I'm home," Souma Yuki followed, and his violet eyes traced where Tohru had her eyes fixed.

"Yuki," Hatori said in greeting.

"Hatori."

"A… ano," Tohru took Yuki's hand suddenly and led him upstairs, "we have to put our things in our rooms first."

"Where's Kyou-kun?" Shigure suddenly asked.

"He lost a bet against Uo-chan and he told us to go ahead without him," Tohru explained quickly, still half-dragging Yuki upstairs.

"Aaah, these kids should be careful, you never know when an accident might happen."

"That girl…" Hatori cut in, lighting a cigarette.

oOo

"Ne, Honda-san, what's the matter?" Yuki asked when they got upstairs.

"Ano… for a moment," Tohru explained, facing Yuki, "I… I thought I saw that Hatori-san wanted to talk to Shigure-san alone."

Yuki smiled at that. "Honda-san, you always seem to know…"

oOo

"…what's going on with all of us," Hatori finished and took a drag on his cigarette.

"Tohru-kun," a smile touched Shigure's lips, "is so cute."

"That sounds so wrong, coming from you," Hatori replied, his face straight.

"Maa, maa, you didn't come to me just to talk about cute high school girls, did you?"

Hatori didn't say anything.

"Or did you? Why, Ha-san, I didn't know you were like that! In all those years, you never let on!" Shigure's eyes sparkled as he took out his fan.

"Idiot."

"This is a cause for celebration—"

"Shut up."

"I must call Aya-cha and tell him—"

"One wrong move and the publishing industry will know of the time when we were in 9th grade and you beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep."

Three minutes of silence.

"Mean," the Dog said in a small voice, his eyes overflowing with tears.

Hatori sipped his tea as if nothing happened.

"But you couldn't have come here without a reason. Unless, of course, you wish to see me that much," he brought his face close to his childhood friend's.

"Shi. Gu. Re." A look of danger flashed in Hatori's eyes and the dog was immediately chastised.

Hatori crushed his cigarette and said two syllables.

"Kana."

Shigure searched his face for any sign of feeling. There were none, as usual.

"I heard she's getting married in the next two months. A doctor from outside, they say," he said nonchalantly, casting side-long looks at his friend. Hatori didn't even blink.

"I dreamed about her." His fist clenched at his side.

"About everything." His other hand went to his injured eye.

"Again. After a long time," he turned to Shigure, "what do you make of that?"

Shigure shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe it's a reaction to her getting married."

"Maybe." He stood up.

"You're leaving?"

In answer, he put on his coat.

"But, Tohru-kun is going to be disappointed—"

At that point Tohru went down from the stairs and saw Hatori in his coat.

"Ha-san, you can't leave when Tohru-kun's about to cook you a meal, and the Main House is so far—" Shigure tried reasoning with him when the phone began to ring.

"Ah, I'll get it," Shigure said in a resigned voice," Tohru-kun, convince him to stay for dinner. He loves your cooking, but he won't admit it."

The Dog winked at her before stepping towards the phone.

Hatori was looking at her.

"Ano," Tohru began, "Hatori-san, you don't have to leave yet. Stay for—"

"Ha-san!" Shigure interrupted from the living room, "It's your servant of 58 years."

"Tell him I'm coming home anyway."

"But he says he needs to talk to you right now."

Hatori sighed in exasperation and took off his coat. "I'll get it."

"Does this mean you're staying for dinner, too?" Shigure quipped from behind him.

"No."

"How can you dash my hopes so casually?" he cried dramatically.

Hatori just kept on walking and picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Ha-san, you're so cold," Shigure extrapolated, "here, Tohru-kun's going to pour her whole heart in cooking a delicious meal and you—you! Oh, I can't say it!"

He took out a tissue and blew his nose.

Tohru looked aghast. "N-no, it's really okay if Hatori-san doesn't want to—"

"W-what?" Hatori's shocked voice cut all noise inside the house.

The phone's receiver slipped out of his hand and clattered loudly as it hit the floor. He put his right hand on the wall to support himself. His left hand went to his blind eye. His good eye was a cloud of disbelief. Yuki had just come down and only saw the phone drop.

"Ha… san?" he took a step towards the young man but Shigure beat him to it.

"Hatori! What's wrong?" he demanded, placing his hands on the doctor's shoulders, all mischief gone from his demeanor now.

Hatori shook off his friend's hands and headed for the door, picking up his coat along the way. He went out without a word.

Tohru looked as though he might faint. "W-what just happened?"

Shigure picked up the phone and started dialing. "Hai. This is Souma Shigure… Yes, he just left… I see… Can you tell me…? Yes… I see."

He put back the receiver in its cradle and looked at the two expectant faces looking at him.

"She's back." Shigure looked out the window, a painful smile touching his lips.

"Akito… sent Kana-san back."

oOo

Hatori stopped the engine outside his house. He put his head on the steering wheel and ran a hand through his hair. This isn't real. This is just… another aspect of my recurring dreams.

"Kana-san is here to see you. She said she was sent by Akito-san."

He heard his servant clearly. But it still didn't seem real. He gripped the steering wheel, grit his teeth. It isn't real. It's your mind making up things to torment you.

Kana-san is here.

The words kept repeating in his mind, like a mantra gone wrong.

…sent by Akito-san.

…Akito-san.

Akito. His head suddenly snapped up. What is he up to?

oOo

What is he up to?

Shigure kept thinking to himself as he ran all the way to the Souma Main House. He rushed to the house, not bothering to take off his geta. He reached the door to Akito's room and was about to open it when one of the few maids of the house emerged from it. She locked the door as she went out.

"What are you doing?" he demanded in a voice made loud by the tumult in his head.

"Ah. Sorry," the girl blushed. "The Master is sick and cannot accept visitors now."

The girl walked away as Shigure banged on the door.

"Akito!" he bellowed through the thin sliding doors.

"Akito! What are you doing? What do you think you're doing?"

There was only silence from the other side of the door.

"Akito! I'm not leaving until you explain this to me! Akito!" he shouted as he banged his fists on the door, already thinking of breaking it down.

"Ano…" the girl was back and she spoke in a reprimanding tone, "the doctor said he shouldn't be disturbed in any way. He needs his rest. He gets even more difficult if deprived of rest."

From inside the room, loud, wrenching coughs could be heard.

"Now look what you've done," she said, not bothering to be respectful anymore. "Now we'd have to send for Hatori-san!"

The girl dashed off for the telephone.

But you aren't going to call the doctor, Shigure thought.

The coughing continued from inside.

But Shigure could have sworn it wasn't coughing he heard, but laughter.

To be continued…