Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

My, My, Imai! Redux (2019)	By : VanillaToast Category: Fruits Basket > Het - Male/Female Views: 747 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story or any brands/names herein. The only character of my own making is Imai.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
The afternoon gradually wore on and, thankfully for Imai, Akito was too tired to be abusive to her. After their lunch came to a cold, but quiet conclusion, he had left her to her own devices. Imai, as usual, found herself in the gardens by the koi pond. She liked the gardens closer to Hatori’s house as they had more flowers to look at. It was her favorite place to be; the fresh air gave her a mild sense of freedom, the smell of the cherry trees calmed her senses, and the koi fish always enjoyed her company… So long as she had snacks, of course.
Imai still had her sucker, having promised her brother that she wouldn’t eat it until after lunch. She always listened to Akito, at least while he was watching. Pulling the lollipop from her obi, Imai looked at it with only mild curiosity, wondering what flavor it could be before she unwrapped the treat and popped it into her mouth.
Cherry… I like cherry. Imai thought as she gave a somewhat pleased smile. She looked up from the pond as she saw a figure walking along the pathway to Hatori’s office. The unmistakable grey kimono and mop of dark hair told her it was Shigure. She knew that he often came to the estate to see Hatori, but also her and Akito as well. Akito had managed to keep Imai from socializing with almost everyone but Shigure; the dog had managed to connive and scheme to get his way and had become quite close with Imai. Imai wished that Shigure was her older brother instead of Akito, but at least Shigure came to visit her with gifts and friendly conversation every now and again.
Shigure popped his head into Hatori’s office, knowing that he would be there. The dragon was always in his office. Really, he was only there for a chat… He wasn’t escaping his ever-persistent editor! No! Never!
“I hope that was a cherry flavored sucker you gave her, Ha’ri. She really likes cherry.” Shigure grinned. How he knew about that lollipop was anyone’s guess, but the dog knew that Imai had an appointment that day and could only assume that Hatori had given her the treat.

“Don’t you know how to knock?” Hatori droned, already at work on his third cigarette for the afternoon as he remained tucked back comfortably against his desk.
Shigure, like Ayame, were around often enough to be considered regulars at the estate as well as his home.
Whatever else happened after Imai’s checkup was unknown to Hatori. Though, he had been a little worried when Akito had come to collect his sister from him. He had almost felt offended, but such an action was too predictable for Hatori to really feel that way. Akito didn’t care, either.
Hatori took his feet from his desk, sitting up straight and turning it around to face Shigure.
“I have no idea what flavor it was; she chose for herself.” Hatori said. It wasn’t any of his business, nor did little things like remembering a favorite candy really matter to him anymore.

Shigure smirked, stepping into the room fully and rubbing the back of his head.
“Meh, Ha’ri, you’re so terrible! Really, you could at least SOUND interested.” Shigure whined as he moved over toward Hatori’s desk, leaning his rump against it before rifling out a cigarette from the pack that sat on Hatori’s desk.
After taking a heavy pull of the cigarette, Shigure let the smoke trail out through his lips lazily. Okay… So, he HAD come to escape his editor, but he’d also come to check up on Imai. He’d known that she had checkup today and wanted to know how she was doing.
“She’s so sweet. Look! You can see her right through your window! She so adorable with that sucker hanging from her mouth!” Shigure groused, gesturing toward Hatori’s open window, which had a relatively simple view of the gardens.

“Don’t you have a book to write?” Hatori grumbled as he picked up the box of cheap candy he’d left out and putting it away in the drawer of his desk. He crushed out his half-finished cigarette in the ashtray nearby, but never once did he look towards the window. He didn’t appear to be remotely interested in anyone outside of business work when it came to being a physician.

Shigure knew the idle conversation wasn’t making the cut, and his expression dropped to one more serious as he made his way to the window. He watched Imai in silence for a few moments before he turned his head toward Hatori.
“… Actually, I just came to check up on her. I haven’t seen her in a while.” Shigure said, turning his gaze back out to Imai in the gardens.
Shigure took another deep pull off his cigarette, holding the fumes inside of him to let the chemicals enter his system before puffing it all back out again. He was quiet again, watching Imai as she sat in her mellow, indifferent silence in the garden.
“How is she? She hasn’t had any… Accidents lately, has she?” Shigure asked before turning fully to face Hatori again, grey-brown eyes watching the doctor.
If there was anybody he could weasel information out of, it was Hatori. Even if the doctor didn’t care about the poor girl, he still had loads of information; he was Imai’s live-in doctor, after all.
Shigure didn’t often come to see Imai, but with how loyal he was to the family, those sparse visits always included the girl. It was a package deal when it came to the scrawny siblings; if he was loyal to one, he was loyal to the other. Shigure had never given any thought to the idea of who he would really choose if Imai, for once, stood up for herself.

Hatori felt like being difficult, because that was simply the way he was. With his back flat against the chair, he watched Shigure move across the room to his window, then finally let his gaze wander to the topic of their conversation for the first time. It made sense, now, why Imai had the sniffles; if she sat outside all the time without proper dress, the colder weather would obviously have an effect.
“Patient files are confidential.” Hatori said, not missing a beat.
But, as soon as the notion came to be a brat, it left just as suddenly. Hatori let out a sigh, closing his eyes and turning his stoic face away from the window.
“She has a bit of a cold, but that’s not as bad as the stiffness in her neck or the bruises she still has.” Hatori said.
He did care in his own way, though it was no different from how he treated any other member of the family. Hatori wasn’t so completely cold and withdrawn that he couldn’t sympathize with the suffering of others after his own ordeal with Kanna.

“Hn.” Was all Shigure offered as a response before he walked back over to Hatori’s desk to stub out his cigarette. It wasn’t often that Shigure was serious, but on certain matters, his jovial moods often went down the drain entirely. Imai was a matter he could rarely be jovial about.
“He’s been beating the shit out of her since he was ten…” Shigure huffed a sigh before shaking his head.
“That’s all she got away with, then? I’m a little surprised; usually she’s in a cast by the third of the month, another by the fifteenth. With just a few bruises and a stiff neck, it’s a little light considering how badly he usually beats her. Don’t you agree? Maybe Akito’s getting tired of hurting her…” Shigure said.
That was a joke. Even if Shigure didn’t live at the Sohma Estate anymore, he knew good and well that the beatings weren’t simply out of ‘good fun’ for Akito. Shigure had been present for some of those terrible abuses and while Akito got great joy out of watching her suffer, Shigure knew that he was simply trying to make the girl pay for something that she hadn’t done. A joke. It made Shigure sick to his stomach to think that Akito was still breaking Imai’s fragile bones and marring her pretty skin; it was a sad waste to see a beautiful girl like her rot away like a caged animal.

“It’s none of my business,” Hatori said. “I only treat the aftermath.”
As sad as it might have been for Hatori to say something like that, there really was not other choice. Shigure should know that by now, thought the doctor didn’t have to say it so listlessly, whether he had his reasons or not.
“If you came to see her, then why are you in here with me?” Hatori asked.
Surely, if Shigure were that close to Imai, he could get all the information he wanted with having to violate doctor’s codes. However, he meant it in good humor and there was a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips afterwards.
“I’ve no more to tell.” Hatori said, but that had been the closest thing to a smile that Hatori had cracked in months.

Shigure had been about to reply when he caught the smirk on Hatori’s face. He grinned and waved his arms dramatically.
“Because I need to get inspiration for my next novel! You know I’ve always wanted to write a story about an angsty doctor finding love in all the wrong places! You’re all the angsty inspiration I need, Ha’ri!” Shigure quipped. “But, alas! If you don’t want me here, I guess I’ll just go find my comfort in the arms of the beautiful girl in the garden! Ahh! She’s such a dream, isn’t she?”
Shigure offered his farewells before leaving Hatori’s office in pursuit of Imai.

“… Idiot.” Hatori muttered under his breath after Shigure had left.
Hatori didn’t leave his study for some time as he busied himself with paperwork and case studies. Before he realized it, it was well into the night and he had become thirsty for tea. For such a simple chore, he didn’t want to bother the maid for it and made his way through the hallways of the Main House like a shadow. His hands were tucked into his pockets and his eyes were downcast, almost appearing closed. Hatori knew the hallways of the compound so well, that he could probably walk around blind and not bump into anything… He had done it a few times before, anyway.
It was quiet, and the only noise he made was the boiling of water in a kettle and the clink of dishes as he took them from the cupboard to prepare for serving.

Imai had just been about to drift off to sleep when she felt her medicine begin to wear off. It was just her luck that she would just be getting to sleep when the stiffness in her neck returned in full force. She typically didn’t mind the pain, but she had been looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep.
Shifting her head, Imai looked across the room at Akito. Her brother was sound asleep already, and it was no surprised considering that he had been tired for most of the day. She felt a little sorry for him, and to keep from waking him up she decided that she would make herself some tea to take with her medicine instead of calling for a maid. Besides, Hatori had said that the tea might help her, and tea always did have a calming effect.
Imai padded through the hallways, taking the same path that Hatori had taken only a few minutes before. Thinking that she was alone, Imai hardly bothered to hide the gigantic yawn that escaped her as she passed through the doorway of the kitchens. Imai’s bed robe, haphazardly donned, drooped from one shoulder as she raised a hand to rub some of the sleep from her eyes.
“*YAAAAWN…! So tired…” Imai mumbled, still rubbing at her weary eyes. She hadn’t noticed anything out the ordinary in the typically empty kitchens. Her mind was too fogged with sleep to hear water and dishes.

“Being awake this late at night won’t help that any.” Hatori said, now standing in front of Imai with a cup of tea in his hands.
He had heard her when she first came in the doorway, yawning as she had been.
Hatori had only made enough tea for one, but the cup he had was offered out to her as he watched with blue-grey eyes. He could easily make another cup for himself. The lights in the kitchen were dim to keep from disturbing others and the yellow lights cast shadows on Hatori’s strong features. His curtain of bangs making them darker on the side of his most useless eye. He marveled at how he had had three run-ins in a single day.
“Not feeling well?” Hatori asked.

Hatori’s words, so suddenly spoken, startled Imai. Despite her typical lack of expressions, she now looked surprised; her golden eyes widened as she pulled her hand from them and a small gasp escaped her thin lips. She looked from him, to the tea he offered, and then back to Hatori again.
He couldn’t have known she wanted something to drink; he was clearly offering her the tea he had made for himself. Politely, she put her hand up to decline the offer as she calmed from his sudden appearance.
“No, thank you, Hatori-san. The medicine simply wore off and I just came to take something with another dose.” Imai said as tired eyes watched him.
Imai stepped aside to allow Hatori exit if he so wished it. She was, for the most part, a very polite girl; she had been raised by her brother, who had taught her manners the hard way. She had learned but had learned well and quickly.
“You should get some rest, Hatori-san. My brother’s appointment is tomorrow morning.” Imai said as she moved to the stove to make her own tea.
It was shocking that she would mention her brother, especially in front of somebody she barely knew. She was tired, she figured, and wasn’t feeling herself. She had been through an exhausting day; while she hadn’t suffered Akito’s wrath, she still felt unwell and she never had enjoyed going to see Hatori. He had always been polite and gentle, but she disliked the cold instruments and the pain that often came with his treatment of that aftermath of Akito’s abuse.

“In due time,” was Hatori’s only reply as he took the refused tea to the table to drink himself.
It was all that was said and Hatori allowed Imai to go about her business as she pleased, paying no mind to the company or the soft noises she made as she made her tea.
Akito’s appointment wasn’t until later the next morning, but Hatori didn’t seem to notice or make mention of Imai’s talk of her brother. If he had, he didn’t show that he did. Hatori was like that; he minded no one’s business but his own. Hatori closed his eyes and quietly sipped his freshly made tea.

It didn’t take Imai long to make her tea, and once she was finished, she made her way to the table with it to sit across from Hatori. She faithfully took her medicine before quietly enjoying her tea. Imai looked utterly whipped, for lack of a better term. Her golden eyes showed little glimmer, even less now than before. The bags under her eyes only solidified the idea that she didn’t sleep well, especially due to her injuries. Imai was looking forward to a good night’s sleep with the help of the medicine she had been given.
Imai didn’t look at Hatori as she sat across from him, but merely sipped her tea in silence. She remembered part of her conversation with Shigure that previous afternoon; Shigure had said “You should really talk to Hatori more often, Imai. You might like his company once you get used to him.” Shigure’s visits were often short and far between, so Imai had no proper company and Shigure knew she got lonely.
“You don’t sleep much, do you, Hatori-san?” Imai asked, finally. It was a reach. A long one. Imai felt awkward sitting in perfect silence with the doctor.

Hatori gazed up at Imai when she sat down, and a brow lifted in mild curiosity as she chose to join him instead of returning to her room. It was unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome. The real surprise came when she attempted conversation.
“It depends.” Hatori replied.
Short replies, but at least he was making some sort of effort to talk back. The doctor had sheltered himself in nothing but his studies since the sorrowful day when he erased Kanna’s memories and letting anyone even this close hadn’t even been thought of. Close… Even just a table’s width apart was something that wasn’t often done unless it was for business matters. Hatori took another short sip of his tea.

“… I don’t sleep very well at night, though I never wake up after sunrise.” Imai said.
The confession was something unsurprising; she WAS the rooster of the zodiac, right? At least she didn’t wake everybody up with her. How she managed to stay up so late at night and still be awake with the dawn while functioning like a normal human being was beyond anyone’s comprehension. It was the simple fact that her body had gotten so used to running on so little sleep that it was entirely possible that this was the reason she was always so listless.
Imai took another sip of her tea, wondering why she was even attempting conversation with Hatori. He was curled up inside of his own mind, just like she was. She found it hard to look him in the eyes when she spoke with him… Found it hard to look him in the eyes period. Hatori’s eyes were always so cold and empty.
It’s no surprise, really; he’s been through such a horrible mess. I don’t see how he can stand to even live, day in and day out, knowing everything that he knows. Of all the stories I’ve heard and read in books, no fiction could ever be as tragic. I feel so sorry for him. Imai thought as she quietly sipped her tea.

Hatori was wondering the same thing himself, coincidentally. Of all the members of the Sohma family, the only ones that had ever taken the step of conversation had been Shigure and Ayame. Not that someone talking to him was entirely foreign, but it was still a little strange to have something out of the norm.
Eye contact wasn’t made, and Hatori sat quietly in his chair for a long moment, sipping his tea and wishing that smoking was allowed elsewhere in the house aside from his office.
“If you want,” Hatori finally spoke, his low voice suddenly cutting off the silence, “I can give you something to help you sleep more.”
There was a soft rustle of fabric as Hatori crossed one lanky leg over the other, leaning back as comfortably as one could in wooden, unpadded chairs. Nothing more was said, as Hatori was one to say only what needed to be said.

Imai closed her eyes after lowering her cup to the table once more. Tiny, pale fingers curled around the cup as though seeking warmth from the insulation china that held the warm liquid. She was so very tiny and had been so since birth. It had once been rumored that her father could hold her in one hand when she was born. There were other rumors, as well; the most prominent was that she had cause her and Akito’s mother to die during childbirth. That rumor was perpetuated by Akito himself, though there were few that actually believed it.
Listless and half-empty eyes drifted back up to meet Hatori’s. The silence had been so heavy to her that she was glad to hear the deep silk of his voice from across the table.
“Thank you, Hatori-san” Imai said, “I’ll come to you tomorrow afternoon, if that’s alright. Taking something tonight may not help much.”
Despite her lack of book-smarts in anything pertaining to medicine, she knew that at that particular hour, sleeping medicine would only make her more listless the next morning since she never slept in. She was a zombie enough as it was. Imai was healthy, however; she didn’t have a lot of the nasty complications Akito did, but she was just as small and frail. It was often joked behind her back that a stiff breeze or an ill-aimed sneeze would send her to the moon.
Imai slumped her shoulders as they found the back of her own uncomfortable chair, her hands still outstretched the cradle her tea. She was nursing it, and she never ate or drank in excess. That may have been part of the reason she was so tiny.
“Is tomorrow afternoon alright with you, Hatori-san?” Imai asked, her never leaving Hatori’s.

“Yes.” Hatori responded.
There was no change in his expression, tone of voice, or posture. He was like a cold mound of ice that didn’t seem to melt even from the hot tea he sipped.
Imai, however, should have felt a bit accomplished for getting Hatori to utter more than three words to her, and in a single sentence for that matter, as the pair sat at the table in the dim light of the kitchen. If someone were to drop a pin from the furthest room of the estate, it would probably be heard from where they were. Unlike Imai, however, Hatori was perfectly comfortable in the silence and the atmosphere was not at all heavy to him.

It was true that Imai was a little uncomfortable with the atmosphere, but only for the fact that if Akito found her conversing with Hatori, she feared that she would be beaten for it. To Akito, it was bad enough that she was close to Shigure, even worse that she had the audacity to think of the dog as her brother. Akito had not been able to stop the bond between the two, but Imai was sure he wouldn’t allow it to happen a second time, especially with anyone that she could feasibly see every day if she desired.
Imai’s mind drifted with the silence like a raft with the tide, going further and further away from the moment. She was so plagued by her fear of Akito, that she found it difficult to get by on a day-to-day basis. Her brother had used her as a punching bag even before Yuki had left to live with Shigure, and ever since the rat had left, the abuse only worsened.
Imai loved her brother. She loved him with every ounce of her being, but she hated him just as much. She feared him more than the devil and she could not escape the Hell he had created for her at the estate.
Imai shuddered suddenly, but easily played it off as a shiver when she finally pulled her eyes away from Hatori’s. He was just as trapped as she was, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t escape either. Even if it hadn’t been his duty as a doctor, Imai doubted that Hatori would have been able to escape the estate after what had happened with Kanna.
“… I’m sorry.” Imai said suddenly, her expression suddenly changing to that of sadness.
She knew what had happened with Kanna. She had been secretly watching through the garden window and had heard stories from the maids about the finer details. Imai felt sorry for Hatori; he had found someone to open up to, to love, to start a life with… And Akito had destroyed it and had made Hatori destroy it.

That was the first time since they sat down that Hatori’s face changed. With a simple raise of his brows, he managed to look puzzled by Imai’s sudden apology.
“For what?” Hatori asked. He could think of anything that had ever happened that would require Imai to apologize.
Though he was trapped, as it had been concluded, Hatori hardly had the energy to feel any remorse for himself; his life now centered around the well being of those in the estate. Even that sort of care was limited with the withdrawn and reclusive habits Hatori had.

“… … …”
Imai couldn’t believe she’d just said that. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if it was the medicine kicking in or how tired she was that caused her to behave to out-of-character. She was trapped, however, into explaining her apology. Just as they were both trapped into the family.
Imai said nothing as she got up and disposed of what was left of her tea, feeling too sick to her stomach to finish it. A sad waste of good tea, but she felt nothing for it. At least it was able to escape the Hell that was the Sohma Estate through the drains, no matter how inanimate it was; she was rather jealous. Imai walked past the table, stopping in the doorway that led into the hall, but she did not look over her shoulder at Hatori.
“… For my brother.” Imai said, disappearing into the hallways like a ghost and leaving behind the strangeness of her words.
It could have been meant many ways; it could have been about what he had done to Hatori, what he’d done to the family, that he was sick, that he was going to die, that he was just as trapped by himself as everybody else.
Imai, however, meant that she was sorry in his stead, apologizing to Hatori for what had happened with Kanna.

Needless to say, Hatori was a little surprised at the apology on Akito’s behalf, though he didn’t entirely know the context of it. Really, if it had been from Akito himself, it would not have mattered any more or any less. Hatori’s heart was numb to every that had happened up to that point and he had long ago accepted what was and was not to be. The thought behind it, however, was kind and did not go unappreciated. It was just too late.
The good doctor finished up his tea and let Imai go as she pleased. Silence fell around him and that was how he spent the rest of his night: alone. The lights in his study didn’t go off until the early hours of the morning; perhaps three or four hours before the sun was due to be up. Hatori had been reading, though he retired early enough to be awake at his normal hour and still function as the family doctor.
Everything was a routine and Hatori never fell out of step; from how many cubes of sugar he put in his morning coffee, to the squeak of his desk chair when he sat down in at the same time every day. Imai’s apology had been entirely out of his routine, but Hatori did his best to ignore it as the night wore on.
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

My, My, Imai! Redux (2019)