𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 -𝘼 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘-

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏

Footsteps sound in my ear as I search through Hatori's office for the first aid kit. I'd be gone already, but my bag is at home. And no one in the Main House seemed to know where their first aid kit was.

"What are you doing here, Yuihiso? I thought you'd go straight home after the meeting." Do I show him my hand? "And why are you rummaging through my stuff?"

I stop searching and shyly show him my hand. At this point, the bleeding has calmed to a point where it'll cease any moment. But the cuts still sting, and the burns are tender.

"Did Akito do this to you?" He makes a B-line to a cabinet pulling out his kit.

"No. I shattered a cup of tea." He sits me down and opens the case, picking through the different bandages.

"Are there any burns?"

"Mild ones." I've observed the Doctor at work, but he's never needed to help me. So this will be an experience, seeing it first hand.

After moments of silence, of him cleaning my wounds, he speaks. But this time, his voice is hollow and haunting. "I didn't think that you would be able to leave Akito without a show starting."

"What do you mean?"

"Akito is quick to aggression and violence. The last time I went before him for such a serious matter, it ended with someone losing sight in one eye and the other broken mentally."

"Is that what happened to her." I nod to the photograph of the woman on his desk. Many a time, I have asked him about it, but he never gave me an answer. "Why you never talk about her?"

His throat constricts as he silently gulps. Anxiety in his eyes. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Akito did move things along between me and Kana's relationship breaking. However, it was my fault she got hurt." I don't know the full story, but I can already see through the lies.

"I don't believe you."

"You weren't there. You wouldn't know. Kana deserved better than what I could give her." He says, pulling the medical tape out.

I jerk my hand out of his reach in frustration at his words. "Somehow, I can't believe that."

"Well, it's not a matter of whether you believe that or not. It's the truth." He yanks my hand back, causing me to wince in pain. "I shouldn't have ever opened up to her."

Ripppp

"I should have known Akito was never going to say yes to marriage."

I wince again. Hatori's harsh movements cause pressure to be applied right on one of the burns.

"And I couldn't have protected her either." He snaps. Finally, a whimper of pain escapes from my mouth from the pain on the burns.

"You're hurting me." With my words, he drops my hand and stands up. His nostrils flare like a dragon.

"Never. Mention. Kana. Again. And don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." He hisses, walking away.

I'm at a loss for words. I don't know what to say! I know I need to speak to him, but I can't. "Don't I have a right to speak my mind?"

"Yes, I don't know all that happened between you and Kana and Akito. True. But I've come to know you and come to know that you are someone who cares. You tried to protect Kana, but it failed. That isn't your fault." I dig my claws in wounds, causing them to open back up.

"Clean up after yourself. You can come back to work when you want to. But you don't need to be in any rush." His voice has softened, but the anger is still distinguishable.

"I will."

"Any mail for me?" I ask, dropping onto a bar stool in the kitchen.

"No, why?" Tsuku sniffs, flipping gingerly through a catalog.

"Just wondering." Puffing air out, I say.

"You know, I've gone over color swatches for the wedding. And I was thinking, what about yellow?" I've already gone through enough today. There is no possible way I could begin to think about anything wedding related.

"I hate that more than pink in the spring." I drag myself off the stool and walk over to the fridge.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Just an accident. Nothing serious." Oh, lookie! I have takeout!

"Hmph." The swoosh from the magazine page makes me pray she's not looking at wedding dresses. "Kana Sohma is back for the week. She came by earlier."

"Who?" Oh boy, sukiyaki!

"That girl you used to hang out with back in High School? Dr. Hatori's old assistant." I nearly drop my container of sukiyaki as the connection forms in my head.

To say I have a bit of history with Kana is an understatement. I spent my whole childhood with Kana Sohma. Two years older than me, outside family member, her entire personality was being kind, my parents decided she'd be a good influence on me. So I spent almost every free day with her. Her stupid, cute, quirky personality drove me through the roof.

The last time I spoke to Kana, is when she decided to go to medical school to help people. You would say it was foolish, but I had my reasons. Everyone applauded her for wanting to be "kind" and "caring." But when I told them I wanted to go to medical school, which was my plan long before she wanted to, they said I was foolish and a copycat.

To connect the dots, that childhood Kana was Hatori's Kana ticks me off. How could she, of all people, be someone Hatori loved?

"Is that so?" I slam the door of the microwave and violently type in the time. "What brings her back?"

"Well, I saw her mother last week, and she told me Kana has a serious boyfriend. So I suspect she's here for her parent's blessing." Tsuku acts like this is her daily routine, gossiping about family members and such. And knowing her, it probably is.

"A pink, spring wedding sounds nice? Doesn't it?" I cut her off. Kana, you've already taken so much from me. I won't let you take wedding buzz from me.

Spring and pink are some of my least favorite things in the world. But it's that or yellow in the summer. Blech

"Now that I think about pink and spring is so cliche. I want the women to talk about me. I mean you and Hanako." She says, ambition in her voice.

"So what do you suggest?"

"Red in the winter! With a traditional service, but then a western reception where we invite the whole family plus friends." The first half of that was my plan from the get-go woman!

"We can discuss this more later. I need to take a shower." And my wedding fuel has already drained. Not even my determination to scorn Kana can keep me motivated to deal with this for longer than two minutes.

"Oh, okay! I'll start looking what places have the best deals on camellias." She gushes. "Before you retire, Kana is coming on Sunday for tea. She wants to see you!"

"Right." Deadpanned, I reply.