Seduced

Sighing, Hatori couldn't believe how long his day had been. Not only was the clinic busy--even though he tried to keep on schedule--he had to make three house-visits and attend to Akito; it had became too much for him. All he wanted to do was go home and fall into bed. . .needing to sleep the weekend away.

The weary Dragon had barely passed his desk when the sound of his phone ple for for his attention. Sighing, he snatched it up only to cringe as Shigure's frantic voice almost yelled through the receiver.

"Ha'ri, I need a huge favour from you--don't say no, because I'll never let you hear the last of it!"

Rubbing his brow, Hatori sunk into his chair as he reached for a cigare "Wh "What now?"
His voice sounded strained, letting the tiredness lace his words.

"Tohru's missing!"

Snapping to attention, Hatori almost dropped the phone. 'Tohru's. . .missing?!' Shaking his head he tried to comprehend what Shigure had just spoken.

"Ha'ri? You have to find her! Our little flower is somewhere in town and who knows WHAT could happen to HER!"
With each word, Shigure's voice became more frantic.

Lighting up his cigarette, Hatori drew a deep breath and le out out slowly before he spoke. He knew his cousin was going to scold him for what he was about to say.
"Why, so she can go back to being your personal slave?" He winced at his own words, though he had always thought Shigure DID treat Tohru like a slave, making her: cook, clean and do God knows what other chores given her.

A dog-like growl came over the receiver, making Hatori hold it away from his ear. "We DO NOT treat her like a slave!" Shigure began. "She agreed to look after the house and the chores in exchange for free bored."

"You could at least help her from time to time. Maybe she got fed up with the three of you and decided to have some time for herself. . .or maybe she's just late from getting home from work."

"No, she has the weekend off--she told me she was going to see Aya, but he said she left over two hours ago. I rang Hana and Uo, but they said they hadn't seen her either."

Stubbing out his untouched cigarette, Hatori clenched the receiver until his knuckles turned white. "Why the hell would she go see Aya? You know how he gets around her!"

A soft chuckle came over the line. "That sounded like you're jealous! I do believe Ha'ri is lusting over our precious flower."

'You don't know the half of it!' He mused almost chuckling, but he'd never admit it to a living soul--he had found himself attracted to Tohru in so many ways, that she had even intruded his dreams, making them so vivid, he often awoke expecting her beside him--needing her to break his Zodiac curse.

The only thing that had restrained him from acting upon his fantasising of her, was his self-control. Though the looks she had often given him almost brought out the great dragon within him. . .not the baby dragon he so often transformed into when she klutzed out.
He however, was getting rather use to it--but he knew he couldn't let himself love her--no matter how hard it was, he didn't want to end up erasing her memories like he had done to so many others.

"Shut up you damn dog. . .I'll find her for--th--then yl owl owe me one."
He slammed down the phone before Shigure could get another word in.
Grabbing his jacket and keys, Hatori contemplated taking home some files that needed to be reviewed along with test results, but decided against it as he exited his clinic.
Tohru was much more important--he had to her her--fast.

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With his anxiety kicking in, Hatori drove through the small suburb again, taking every possible route he knew Tohru would take home.
She was nowhere to be seen.
"God, please let her be okay," he prayed aloud as he began another route.

He had circled the area three times before broadening his search, with each passing minute he grew more anxious.
'If anything's happened to her, I'll personally strangle Shigure for not calling me earlier about her disappearance.'
As he turned into the red-light district down town, he found himself holding his breath every now and then; his heart pounding harder and harder as he hoped she hadn't accidentally wandered into the area--the last thing he wanted was to find out that she had been taken advantage of, because she simply had gotten herself lost--or even worse, she was--.
He shook his head. 'Don't think like that!' His mind yelled at him. 'That's the last thing you want to think about!'

Catching sight of a girl looking like Tohru, Hatori slammed on his breaks, almost causing an accident but relief washed through him as the girl turned at the sound of screaching tires--she wasn't Tohru.FlipFlipping open hibilebile, Hatori grimaced as he discovered the battery was flat.
Cursing under his breath, he felt like throwing it out the window and running over it a few hundred times with his car.
The one time he really needed it--it happened to be dead; but then again he hadn't used it in such a long time he had completely forgotten about charging it.

Throwing it onto the passenger seat, Hatori turned his car in the direction of Shigure's house.
He knew of the small lake Tohru had so often visited when she just wanted to get away from everything. She had once told him it was her solitary place, a place where she could quietly think of her mother or have some sort of moment alone be goe going back to the house to do her duties.

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Parking his car in a clearing of the woods a small distance away from the lake, Hatori made his way to the water, hoping she was there.
She wasn't.

Catching his reflection in the lapping water, Hatori took a brief moment to sit down. He looked and felt more tired than he could remember, but he was determind to stay out as long as it took to find Tohru.
"Where are you Tohru?" His voice came out barely above a whisper.
The pain of her missing grew with each passing minute. He had already lost one love due to Akito; he didn't want another lost because of who knew what; he couldn't bear it.

Running a hand over his face and sighing, he stood up.
He had to keep searching for her.
Turning, he caught sight of the house below.
"Maybe. . ." his spirits lifted a little as he darted back to his car, hoping against hope that Tohru had returned home and couldn't reach him because of his damn mobile.

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"Ha'ri!" Shigure greeted from the door as Hatori clambered out of his car. "Have you found our precious little flower?"

"No Shigure, I haven't. I came to see if she turned up here."

"No, not yet; though Kyo and Yuki have gone out looking for her too. Funny how those two don't get along, but when it comes to Tohru, they seem to tolerate each other. . .a little."

"Well you sure are ng lng light of the situation. Why aren't you looking for her too?"
Anger was beginning to bubble up in Hatori. He was just about ready to throttle him. 'If anything should happen. . .' his mind began again.

"Somebody's got to be here for when she gets back; it might as well be me. I'm so worried about her." Putting a hand up against his cheek, Shigure leaned into it. "I shouldn't have let her go to Aya's alone."

"You're damn right! You should have rang me--I could have got someone to fill in for me--you know I don't put up with Aya's antics. I would have been able to drive Tohru there and back."

Shigure gave a smirk. "So you do admit you do have a crush on Tohru! Don't let Akito hear you say that, who knows what he would do."

With his eyes growing darker, Hatori felt the great dragon beginning to rise within him. 'Akito!' His mind hissed. 'He couldn't. . .he wouldn't. . .'
"Not again. . .never again. . ." he growled as he got back into his car. "Why didn't I think of it sooner?!"
With his black BMW kicking up gravel, he sped off.
He had to get back to the main house--fast.