Spring by Halicarnassus
Cannon. Fruits Basket.
Summary: Hatori falls ill and it's up to Shigure, Ayame and Tohru to nurse the dragon back to health. Spring finally comes to Hatori's world. Sometimes love is just a hug away. But is he ready for this second chance?
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and its characters are the property of Natsuki Takaya
Chapter 1
Snow blanketed the vast Sohma estate forcing many of its inhabitants to turn up the heater and toss on another layer of clothing. A tall man in a lab coat did neither though he could feel the cold seep through his bones.
Hatori Sohma put down the medical chart he'd been perusing and looked at the falling snow. Akito, the head of the family, once remarked that he was cold like snow.
To keep the family secret, it was Hatori's task to suppress people's memories whenever Akito ordered him to. He did it without remorse. Until Kana came into his life.
He likened her to spring and for one brief moment, they dreamed of a life together. But it wasn't meant to be. To save her from further pain, he erased her memories of their time together. She left and he was alone again.
He prayed that she would find happiness again even if it meant spending the rest of his life surrounded by unmelting snow. And so she did. Kana married someone else and was now expecting her second child.
He told himself he was happy for her. The Gods answered his prayer so he prepared to hold up his end of the bargain. A lifetime of solitude beckoned.
Still, there were times when Hatori wondered if he was fine with the way things were. Especially when she was around. Tohru Honda had a knack for saying things the Sohmas wanted to hear. Two years ago, he asked her the same question Kana posed to him when they first met.
"When snow melts, what do you think it becomes?"
"It becomes spring," she said, just as Kana did years ago. But she went further.
"No matter how cold it is now, spring will come again. Without fail,'' Tohru said, smiling.
Whenever he remembered that incident, hope rose in him that maybe he would find someone again. He suspected this was the effect she had on other members of the zodiac. She gave them hope.
Like many of the Sohmas, Hatori was fond of Tohru. He didn't know what Akito thought of her since the clan head kept his own counsel. To be honest, Hatori didn't much care what Akito thought so long as the moody young man didn't hurt Tohru.
He could tell that Yuki and Kyo love her. But the rat was too shy to declare his love and the cat would rather cut off his own tongue than admit he felt the same. Tohru seemed oblivious to the situation and didn't favor one over the other.
His musings were interrupted by the phone ringing.
"Haa-san?,'' Shigure whined. "Would you mind coming over? Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun got into another fight and Tohru-kun got hurt."
Those idiots, Hatori thought. But he kept the annoyance out of his voice when he answered Shigure.
"I'll be there in an hour."
"You never grant my requests that quickly. Is it because of Tohru-kun? You naughty man, trying to steal my young wife."
Hatori held his tongue. He was used to the dog's teasing.
"I was right, wasn't I? Tsk tsk Haa-san. You're eleven years older than our little flower."
"Stop babbling nonsense. I'll see you in an hour." He hung up on the dog.
Hatori could hear Yuki and Kyo arguing as he approached the house.
"Stupid cat. Look what you did to Honda-san."
"Don't put all the blame on me, you damn rat!"
"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun I'm fine really. Don't worry about me. It's my fault for getting in the way."
Hatori smiled. Typical Tohru, always apologizing. He knocked and the door was flung open by Kyo.
"Well it's about time Hatori."
The orange-haired teen looked at him with guilty eyes so Hatori passed him by without comment and went in search of his patient. Tohru was in the living room, sporting a big bump on her head and a right hand loosely wrapped in bandages. Yuki hovered near her, concern written all over his face. She saw Hatori and smiled.
"Hatori-san! What brings you here?"
"You," he said, put down his doctor's bag and started checking her injuries.
"I'm so sorry you had to come here on such a cold day. I was stupid enough to drop some glasses then try to pick up the broken pieces."
"But Honda-san, it's Kyo's fault the glasses got broken. He crashed through the sliding door and you got pushed into a wall,'' Yuki said.
"You kicked me, you damn rat!"
"Then you need to train more stupid cat."
"Stop calling me stupid!"
"If the shoe fits..."
A grinning Shigure walked into the room.
"I knew you would slog your way through the freezing snow for Tohru- kun. Make sure you treat her like the delicate flower she is, Haa-san."
"What are you talking about," Kyo snarled at the dog.
Hatori wanted to jab Shigure with the biggest needle in his bag but decided to ignore him and the squabbling cat and rat. He carefully felt the bump on Tohru's head, removed the bandages from her hand, treated the deep cut and bandaged it properly. Then he checked her for any other contusions and cuts.
"The bump should be gone in a day or two. Use this on the wound, it should be healed in a week. Change the bandages every day and don't get it wet. Have someone else do the dishes,'' he told her as he handed over a tube of ointment. He grabbed his bag and stood up.
"How much do I owe you, Hatori-san?"
"No charge. Just take care of yourself. Seems a lot of people get rattled when you're hurt,'' he said and prepared to leave. He needed to get back to the main house.
Tohru looked embarassed. Shigure cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.
"Why don't you stay for breakfast Haa-san? I'm sure Tohru-kun would love to thank you with a home-cooked meal."
Tohru waited expectantly for an answer. When Hatori slowly nodded, she smiled brightly at him. The dragon found himself smiling back. Akito could wait.
Breakfast was delicious. It had been awhile since he'd eaten such a meal. Even the food at the main house paled in comparison to Tohru's cooking. He sipped his tea and eyed his cousins. He envied them. They didn't have to live at the main house and deal with Akito every day. And they had her.
As he was leaving, she ran up to him with a wrapped parcel.
"Hatori-san, I made you a bento for lunch. It's nothing special but I hope you like it."
"That's very thoughtful of you Honda-kun. Thank you."
He accepted the parcel then placed it and his bag on a table. Acting on impulse, he took her uninjured hand and squeezed it briefly. A blushing Tohru slowly withdrew her hand, stammered a goodbye and fled to the kitchen.
Shigure, who saw what happened, grinned at Hatori. He wagged a finger at the dragon.
"Now, now Haa-san. Don't you charm our little flower away from us. Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun would never forgive you."
Hatori pretended he didn't hear Shigure and left.
As she tidied up the kitchen, Tohru wondered why she got so flustered at what Hatori did. He was just thanking her for the bento. Still, the doctor she knew wasn't into open displays of affection. She'd never even seen him hug any of the other members of the zodiac.
That night at the Sohma estate, Hatori stood in the yard as snow fell softly around him. Was being alone the price he paid for erasing other people's memories? Was he fine with the way things were? He held out a hand and watched as snowflakes landed on his palm and melted. An image of Tohru's smiling face appeared in his mind.
He brushed the snow from his hair and walked back to his empty house. He didn't bother to change out of his damp clothes and went to bed.
Cannon. Fruits Basket.
Summary: Hatori falls ill and it's up to Shigure, Ayame and Tohru to nurse the dragon back to health. Spring finally comes to Hatori's world. Sometimes love is just a hug away. But is he ready for this second chance?
Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and its characters are the property of Natsuki Takaya
Chapter 1
Snow blanketed the vast Sohma estate forcing many of its inhabitants to turn up the heater and toss on another layer of clothing. A tall man in a lab coat did neither though he could feel the cold seep through his bones.
Hatori Sohma put down the medical chart he'd been perusing and looked at the falling snow. Akito, the head of the family, once remarked that he was cold like snow.
To keep the family secret, it was Hatori's task to suppress people's memories whenever Akito ordered him to. He did it without remorse. Until Kana came into his life.
He likened her to spring and for one brief moment, they dreamed of a life together. But it wasn't meant to be. To save her from further pain, he erased her memories of their time together. She left and he was alone again.
He prayed that she would find happiness again even if it meant spending the rest of his life surrounded by unmelting snow. And so she did. Kana married someone else and was now expecting her second child.
He told himself he was happy for her. The Gods answered his prayer so he prepared to hold up his end of the bargain. A lifetime of solitude beckoned.
Still, there were times when Hatori wondered if he was fine with the way things were. Especially when she was around. Tohru Honda had a knack for saying things the Sohmas wanted to hear. Two years ago, he asked her the same question Kana posed to him when they first met.
"When snow melts, what do you think it becomes?"
"It becomes spring," she said, just as Kana did years ago. But she went further.
"No matter how cold it is now, spring will come again. Without fail,'' Tohru said, smiling.
Whenever he remembered that incident, hope rose in him that maybe he would find someone again. He suspected this was the effect she had on other members of the zodiac. She gave them hope.
Like many of the Sohmas, Hatori was fond of Tohru. He didn't know what Akito thought of her since the clan head kept his own counsel. To be honest, Hatori didn't much care what Akito thought so long as the moody young man didn't hurt Tohru.
He could tell that Yuki and Kyo love her. But the rat was too shy to declare his love and the cat would rather cut off his own tongue than admit he felt the same. Tohru seemed oblivious to the situation and didn't favor one over the other.
His musings were interrupted by the phone ringing.
"Haa-san?,'' Shigure whined. "Would you mind coming over? Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun got into another fight and Tohru-kun got hurt."
Those idiots, Hatori thought. But he kept the annoyance out of his voice when he answered Shigure.
"I'll be there in an hour."
"You never grant my requests that quickly. Is it because of Tohru-kun? You naughty man, trying to steal my young wife."
Hatori held his tongue. He was used to the dog's teasing.
"I was right, wasn't I? Tsk tsk Haa-san. You're eleven years older than our little flower."
"Stop babbling nonsense. I'll see you in an hour." He hung up on the dog.
Hatori could hear Yuki and Kyo arguing as he approached the house.
"Stupid cat. Look what you did to Honda-san."
"Don't put all the blame on me, you damn rat!"
"Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun I'm fine really. Don't worry about me. It's my fault for getting in the way."
Hatori smiled. Typical Tohru, always apologizing. He knocked and the door was flung open by Kyo.
"Well it's about time Hatori."
The orange-haired teen looked at him with guilty eyes so Hatori passed him by without comment and went in search of his patient. Tohru was in the living room, sporting a big bump on her head and a right hand loosely wrapped in bandages. Yuki hovered near her, concern written all over his face. She saw Hatori and smiled.
"Hatori-san! What brings you here?"
"You," he said, put down his doctor's bag and started checking her injuries.
"I'm so sorry you had to come here on such a cold day. I was stupid enough to drop some glasses then try to pick up the broken pieces."
"But Honda-san, it's Kyo's fault the glasses got broken. He crashed through the sliding door and you got pushed into a wall,'' Yuki said.
"You kicked me, you damn rat!"
"Then you need to train more stupid cat."
"Stop calling me stupid!"
"If the shoe fits..."
A grinning Shigure walked into the room.
"I knew you would slog your way through the freezing snow for Tohru- kun. Make sure you treat her like the delicate flower she is, Haa-san."
"What are you talking about," Kyo snarled at the dog.
Hatori wanted to jab Shigure with the biggest needle in his bag but decided to ignore him and the squabbling cat and rat. He carefully felt the bump on Tohru's head, removed the bandages from her hand, treated the deep cut and bandaged it properly. Then he checked her for any other contusions and cuts.
"The bump should be gone in a day or two. Use this on the wound, it should be healed in a week. Change the bandages every day and don't get it wet. Have someone else do the dishes,'' he told her as he handed over a tube of ointment. He grabbed his bag and stood up.
"How much do I owe you, Hatori-san?"
"No charge. Just take care of yourself. Seems a lot of people get rattled when you're hurt,'' he said and prepared to leave. He needed to get back to the main house.
Tohru looked embarassed. Shigure cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself.
"Why don't you stay for breakfast Haa-san? I'm sure Tohru-kun would love to thank you with a home-cooked meal."
Tohru waited expectantly for an answer. When Hatori slowly nodded, she smiled brightly at him. The dragon found himself smiling back. Akito could wait.
Breakfast was delicious. It had been awhile since he'd eaten such a meal. Even the food at the main house paled in comparison to Tohru's cooking. He sipped his tea and eyed his cousins. He envied them. They didn't have to live at the main house and deal with Akito every day. And they had her.
As he was leaving, she ran up to him with a wrapped parcel.
"Hatori-san, I made you a bento for lunch. It's nothing special but I hope you like it."
"That's very thoughtful of you Honda-kun. Thank you."
He accepted the parcel then placed it and his bag on a table. Acting on impulse, he took her uninjured hand and squeezed it briefly. A blushing Tohru slowly withdrew her hand, stammered a goodbye and fled to the kitchen.
Shigure, who saw what happened, grinned at Hatori. He wagged a finger at the dragon.
"Now, now Haa-san. Don't you charm our little flower away from us. Yuki-kun and Kyo-kun would never forgive you."
Hatori pretended he didn't hear Shigure and left.
As she tidied up the kitchen, Tohru wondered why she got so flustered at what Hatori did. He was just thanking her for the bento. Still, the doctor she knew wasn't into open displays of affection. She'd never even seen him hug any of the other members of the zodiac.
That night at the Sohma estate, Hatori stood in the yard as snow fell softly around him. Was being alone the price he paid for erasing other people's memories? Was he fine with the way things were? He held out a hand and watched as snowflakes landed on his palm and melted. An image of Tohru's smiling face appeared in his mind.
He brushed the snow from his hair and walked back to his empty house. He didn't bother to change out of his damp clothes and went to bed.