Dance of the Curse 4/?

[melrose_stormhaven]

Disclaimer: Do I own Fruits Basket? No, I don't. I'm just borrowing it for a while. Please don't sue.

In this chapter: The gang finally gets to see Tohru! And they find out more about this mysterious Masako Hojo.

Chapter IV: Surprises

Hatori Souma stood outside the door, astonishment evident on his handsome face. For several moments, his characteristic coolness vanished as he continued to stare with wide eyes at the reddish-brown-haired woman with violet eyes that stood in front of Shigure's door. I know you. I've seen you before.

He was a young boy, around four or five, or perhaps older than that. He'd been running blindly in the gardens of the Inner House. His mother had scolded him about something that badly upset him. He ran and ran, not really caring where he was going, until he bumped into something?or more precisely, someone's legs.

He held his breath, afraid that he would transform into a seahorse and therefore cause trouble, but to his relief, he did not. He would have fallen into the ground if it hadn't been for the pair of hands that caught him before he fell. He felt himself being helped to stand up.

"Are you all right?" a soft feminine voice asked.

Young Hatori looked up to see whom he had bumped into. It was an extremely beautiful young woman with long reddish-brown hair that fell down to her buttocks and piercing violet eyes that seem to bore into his eyes. He had never seen her before, but somehow, she looked very familiar.

Hatori bowed at her, remembering his manners. "I'm sorry, miss. I wasn't looking."

The woman smiled slightly at him. "It's all right." Then she shifted her gaze to an old man, whom (much to Hatori's dismay) he recognized as one of his clan's elders. "He's one of them, isn't he?" she asked the old man. She turned back to him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Ah. Not just one of them, so it seems." She gently ruffled his hair. "Run along now, Hatori-chan. Be more careful, ne?"

It had been so long ago, and he almost forgot about the whole thing, but when he saw the woman, it all came back to him with startling clarity. It was the same face. Impossible. She should be old by now.

Kyou looked at Hatori with concern. He'd never seen the dragon's face so pale. He turned to the woman. She was looking at Hatori with an amused expression on her face.

"You know her, Hatori?" Yuki asked, noting the expression on the doctor's face.

It was the woman who answered. "You must be Hatori Souma," she said in her soft voice, smiling at Hatori. "We've met before, but I don't think you remember my name. I'm Dr. Masako Hojo. We've met in a medical seminar a year or so ago."

It is the same voice. The dragon doctor blinked. Then, he said in his usual calm, cool voice, "Of course. I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner." The troubled look in his eyes, however, belied the tone of his voice.

Masako just smiled. "If you're wondering what I'm doing here, I'm afraid I bring some bad news. It's about Honda-san. She's been in an accident."

"I see." Hatori looked at the stricken faces of the younger jyuunishi, then at Masako. "How is she?"

"She's alive," she said blandly, "but her body's in a bad shape." Their eyes met, and Hatori knew there was more to her story than what she was telling.

"Can we see Tohru?" Momiji broke in a quiet, subdued voice.

Masako smiled again. "Of course. That's why I'm here. I've already informed her grandfather of her condition. He's already there with her. I'm sorry I haven't told you earlier. We had trouble identifying her due to her?injuries."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kyou said. "Let's go."

*******

"Hatori. Where is Hatori?" Akito Souma sat on the floor, his dark-colored kimono rustling slightly as he moved. He put his hands on both sides of his head. He had a severe headache, his temples throbbing with pain. He felt like pounding his head against the wall.

"WHERE IS HATORI?"

"Hatori is not here, Akito," Hatsuharu Souma told him as he entered the room. "He left a few hours ago on some urgent business."

"Urgent business?" Akito's face was twisted with sudden fury. "I am his sole business!" Then his eyes narrowed. Hatori had been doing something these past days, and he had no idea what it was all about. That was about to change.

He stood up, his headache suddenly forgotten. His eyes gleamed as an idea formed in his head.

*******

The place where Masako Hojo brought them was unlike any hospital they had ever seen. The place was a big three-story building nestled in a clearing surrounded by trees and other greenery. A beautiful flower garden fronted the building, filling the air with the scent of roses. Beyond the building was a clear sparkling lake.

"This doesn't look like a hospital," Momiji remarked when they entered. For one thing, there wasn't the smell of antiseptic that usually characterized hospitals. The walls were a pale blue, unlike the white walls in most hospitals. In the building's atrium was a magnificent rock garden. If it weren't for the white-clad nurses and doctors that littered the building, Momiji would have thought they were in some fancy resort.

Masako Hojo smiled at him. "I know. However, it is one. It's designed this way so a patient's stay in the hospital wouldn't be so terrible." She let out a small laugh. "The people here call this place the 'hospital resort'."

Arisa was also looking around. "This place must be expensive."

"Actually, everything here is for free?treatment, hospitalization, medication, etc."

"Really? Who owns this place? That person must be a kind soul."

"I do." Then she stopped in front of a door. Turning to them, she said, "Well, we're here. This is Honda-san's room."

Kyou felt his heart pounding with anxiety. They were here. Please, let her be all right. She means so much?to me. To everyone.

Masako paused in the act of turning the knob. Her voice suddenly became very grave. "Honda-san's injuries are quite serious. Please try not to upset her by your reactions." Then she opened the door.

It was a brightly lit, air-conditioned room with a huge picture window that allowed one a magnificent view of the lake. However, the group's eyes were not paying attention to the view. They were staring at the frail, pathetic figure lying on a cream-colored bed. Tohru.

"Gods," Hanajima whispered in a stunned voice. "Tohru?" was all that she managed to say before falling silent. No one spoke.

Kyou felt his eyes burning with unshed tears. He was completely stunned at the sight before him. Nearly all of Tohru's body was covered with bandages, and on both her legs were casts that made her legs twice as big than they were. Huge, bluish-black bruises marked the places not covered by bandages or casts. There was a nurse beside her, and she lifted a frail hand. Tohru's hand was filled with tubes that connected her to various instruments and liquids. She looked so helpless, so frail.

He felt like someone stabbed his heart, and he wished someone did. This wouldn't have happened if he had gone with her! If only he had been there!

"How is she?" Masako Hojo asked the nurse, breaking through the silence that suddenly filled the room.

The nurse bowed. "She's doing well, hime-sama." She handed Masako a clipboard that contained Tohru's chart. "She's asleep right now. Her grandfather left a while ago with their relatives. The grandfather was most upset with what happened."

Masako nodded, not bothering to look up. The nurse bowed once again, then quietly left the room. When the nurse left, she looked up and turned to Hatori. Their eyes met, communicating without words. She then turned to the rest. "I'm leaving you here. There are some things I need to do." With a brief nod, she left, with Hatori following her.

Silence filled the room. Then, with soft, careful strides, Momiji, Yuki, and Kyou went to Tohru's side. Momiji held her frail hand as if it would crumble if he pressed too hard. "It's all right, Tohru-mutti," Momiji whispered in a voice as gentle as his touch. "We're here now. No one's going to hurt you."

Then, as if hearing Momiji's voice, Tohru opened her eyes, her beautiful, soft brown eyes, and focused at Kyou's pain-filled ones. "It's all right," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "I kept my promise."

~T.B.C~

Freetalk, part 2: Once again, another chapter. Anyway, I hope you liked this one. From now on, unless indicated otherwise, events in Italics are flashback scenes.

I actually wanted Kureno to be the one with Akito when he went wild, but I decided Haru was better.

Hime-sama: So, who exactly is Hime-sama? You'll know more about her in the following chapters. But to give you a clue on who she really is, let's say that she's very connected with the Soumas.

Next chapter: Uh, oh! Akito's mad! What will happen to Tohru? Will she be kicked out of Shigure's house now that she can't walk? What will Kyou do about the whole thing? Till the next time!

[Waking Dreamer]

LOL I love your free talks. =) I like it when an author rambles his/her thoughts. =) Great chapter! And leaving those cliffhangers... more more more!

[melrose_stormhaven]

I like doing the free talk too. It gives the opportunity to explain some stuff.

[Dark Deity]

OH! more please ^_^ I wana know what's gonna happen! <_>'

[bookworm]

Hmmm...interesting.