IT BLOSSOMS, hatori sohma [Fruits Basket]

Chapter Forty Five

Hatori exhaled, massaging his temple as a throbbing headache threatened to form. In one hand, he held a roll of bandages, which he carefully wrapped around the injured ankle of the meek and repentant monkey of the cursed Sohmas, Ritsu.

As one of the elder members of the cursed Sohmas, Hatori found himself pondering whether Ritsu fell into the category of elders or the younger generation. Ritsu was excessively apologetic and had an abysmal self-esteem. This led to Hatori briefly gazing at Shigure, realizing that he likely contributed to Ritsu's situation. It was a known fact that in the past, Shigure often teased Ritsu, which undoubtedly added to his insecurities.

Hatori had only expected to treat a single patient upon his arrival - Tohru, who had suffered a cut from some shattered glass, due to Ritsu's typical clumsiness.

When he finished he spoke slowly as he removed his hand from Ritsu's ankle and turned to face Ryu, who was another member of the group who had been injured. She raised her wrist, which was similarly sprained like Ritsu's ankle, and wore a cheeky grin despite the pain and swelling.

Hatori let out a weary sigh before addressing Ryu, "I had only heard that Honda had been hurt...and you are injured as well?"

As Ritsu continued to profusely apologize, feeling responsible for the injuries of both females, neither Ryu nor Tohru held any animosity towards him.

Hatori raised an eyebrow, his gaze focused on Ryu, "I can somewhat imagine how Ritsu might have gotten hurt, and Shigure has explained Tohru's situation to me. However, I'm curious to know how you managed to end up with an injury."

The sound of Himawari's giggle echoed through the room as she entered, trailed by Yuki, who carried a teapot in one hand. The child continued, her voice filled with enthusiasm, "Mama was so incredible, Uncle Hatori! You see, when Uncle Ritsu almost slipped off the roof, Mama dashed so quickly and caught him before he fell to the ground!"

Himawari proceeded to reenact the scene, her theatricality reminding Hatori of a mini version of Ayame in that moment.

As for the situation, while Ryu was somewhat taller and had a larger build than Ritsu, it wasn't overly strenuous for her to catch him.

Nevertheless, the impact on her wrist and the resulting sprain were evidence that it was still too much for her to bear even his slender weight.

...

Flashback to a few hours ago...

Ryu and Himawari were making their way to Shigure's house for a visit. Being faced with a writer's block yet again, he resorted to asking Ryu for assistance, though it was mostly due to mild blackmail. Shigure had stumbled upon her secret - her fondness for his novels - thanks to Ayame's loose lips.

The incident had happened during a visit from Ayame at the dojo. His primary intention was to deliver some clothing he had crafted for Himawari, but he also brought a few outfits for Ryu, which nearly resulted in his near demise. While Ryu harbored a desire to express her irritation, she refrained from doing so, as their daughter's excitement over the clothes was infectious, and she didn't want to dampen her spirits.