Shigure leaned in the doorway, soaking up the mid-morning sun as he waited. It had been quiet over these past four years, peaceful in some ways but lonely in others. That was just one reason Shigure was excited to see Tohru again.

It wasn't long until he heard the grumble of an engine and saw the vehicle carefully creeping down his driveway. He waited patiently until it came to a stop and an old friend climbed out with the girl.

Tohru turned to face the driver as she closed the door. "Thank you so much for driving me, Hatori."

"It was no trouble," he said indifferently. He never looked at her, but went straight to open the trunk to extract her belongings.

Hatori had actually offered to go get the girl himself when he heard she was coming home, and had even smiled to himself when he first spotted her waiting on the steps of her dorm. They had exchanged a few words in the car, but aside from that the trip had been silent due to Hatori's nature.

It was then that Tohru turned to see Shigure, and as soon as she did he smiled big. He left his perch to greet her, she in exchange taking a few steps forward to meet him. Once he reached her, Shigure took Tohru's head between his hands. She looked up at him, placing her hands on his arms. This was the closest they could get to a hug and avoid Shigure transforming.

"Oh Tohru, I have missed you," Shigure confessed, a little more serious than usual.

"Thank you for allowing me to come back," Tohru said gratefully, "but if it's any trouble please let me know. I don't mean to impose and can find a place of my own-"

Shigure cut her off. "Tohru, stop. I am delighted to have you back, you are no burden at all. You may stay as long as you like." He looked up to address his friend. "Hatori, I believe you remember where Tohru's room is. I trust you'll manage to get her things up there, yes?"

Hatori pulled the last of her luggage and slammed the trunk closed. Tohru's bags waited patiently on the ground for someone to assist them.

Hatori glared at Shigure. "You are more than capable of carrying these up for her. I have had a long drive and need to get back to the main house." His statement sounded more like a warning.

Shigure then cried, "Oh Tohru, how I've missed you!" and dramatically brought her to him. Once he embraced her, Tohru found herself in the familiar puff of smoke, which cleared to reveal the black dog. "Oh no, how careless of me," Shigure began. "Now I'm afraid I can't carry anything-"

Hatori held out one of her small bags and stepped forward, dropping the strap over the dog's neck. "They will be fine for a couple of minutes until you transform back," he stated before turning away.

"Oh really, it's no trouble," Tohru intervened. "I'll get all of my bags-"

Hatori stopped and used his good eye to glance over his shoulder, waiting.

"Nonsense!" Shigure barked. "Hatori, now do you see what will happen? If you go, Tohru will carry all these heavy bags upstairs on her own before I can turn back to help her. You wouldn't make the girl do that, would you?"

"No, no. It's fine, really-" Tohru began, holding her spread hands up to wave before her.

But after a brief hard glare at the black dog, Hatori turned back and grabbed the two larger bags. "Let's do this quickly, then," he grumbled as he passed. Tohru grabbed the last and smallest bag (aside from the one Shigure wore) and tried to keep up.

The dog ran ahead to lead the way. As his two followers entered the upstairs room, they saw him with his front paws on the sill of the open window. "You better allow some fresh air in, this room hasn't been used in a while," Shigure commented as he looked out the window.

Hatori set down the bags and turned to leave. "Tell me if you need anything. I'll be going now."

"Thank you again," Tohru timidly called after him.

"Goodbye, Hatori! See you soon!" called the dog as he jumped down. There was no response, and Tohru looked back to Shigure, who was shaking the bag off.

"Well, I will leave you to unpack. Come downstairs when you're ready," Shigure said before running off.

Tohru found Shigure dressed and working in his office when she finally came down. Though the walk down was silent, and without Yuki and Kyo, this house was not the same. Still, the nostalgia and familiarity of the place were calming.

"Ah, Tohru, done already?" he acknowledged.

"Yes! I was just thinking of what to cook for dinner..." Tohru began, bringing a finger up to her cheek thoughtfully as her eyes wandered.

"Now Tohru," Shigure answered. "I know you have had a long day. I would not mind ordering out tonight-"

"Oh no no it's no problem!" Tohru cut him off, waving her hands frantically in front of her. "I've missed cooking. Really, it's no trouble. I want to."

Shigure dropped his pen and threw his head back at this, dropping back in his seat. "Sweet Tohru!" he cried, an arm coming to cover his eyes. "I was so hoping you would say that. I haven't had a decent meal since you left."

"Wonderful," she replied, calming down at this. "I'll just go get started now."

As she turned to leave, Shigure lifted his arm slightly to peek at her. "Good luck..." he sang quietly.

This remark was, of course, due to the mess that had accrued since Tohru had left. It was as bad as when she first moved in. She stood dumbstruck for a moment, then sighed to herself, "I should have known." That was all before she began cleaning, feeling quite at home again.