My, My, Imai! Vol. I

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm sorry if this chapter seems to end so abruptly, but this was the final log before Hatori-mun disappeared so, for the moment, this will be the final chapter posted for this story before I begin to write it by myself. Please enjoy!
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Imai:
After leaving the diner, Imai was still a bit miffed with Shigure's suggestion that she and Hatori go on a dinner date that evening. Sure, it was Valentine's Day, and her birthday, to boot, but that didn't mean that Shigure had to force the pair too roughly into something they were still highly uncomfortable about. Besides, she and Hatori were still testing the waters of whatever might be forming between them; they had shared a kiss but just the day previous, and had fallen asleep cuddled against eachother the night previous... But it didn't mean that they would be going out on official dates any time soon.

Not to mention that Shigure continued to step further and further out of line with his urging Hatori to get closer to the rooster. Imai had been a little suspicious before, but now she was even more suspicious about Shigure's constant suggestions and ideas.

**Is he actually trying to force Hatori into this? How thick could Shigure get; doesn't he realize that my just being friends with Hatori is walking on thin ice as it is?**

Imai kept to herself, and kept close to Hatori as they made their way into the jewelry store. They still had yet to get the chain for Imai's baby ring, the birthday present she had recieved from Shigure. The store wasn't terribly crowded, despite the fact that it was Valentine's Day, but there were still a few men frantically searching for that perfect gift for their wife or girlfriend; needless to say, it sent Imai on edge, and she skirted carefully around every one of them.


Shigure:
He knew the pair was still a bit miffed at him for his suggestion, and he decided to back off for awhile... At least until tomorrow. Besides, they still had the rest of the night and another day ahead of them before they all had to leave for the Main House again; he knew that Hatori wouldn't let it all go to waste... At least he hoped.

He stuck close to Imai, allowing himself and Hatori to flank their younger cousin so as to keep her from accidentally bumping into any of the men in the store. Smiling, he leaned over to whisper in Imai's ear.

"Don't worry, Imai-chan... Just stick close to either me or Hatori; we'll make sure nothing happens to you."


Imai:
But she was still on edge, even as Shigure offered her a tender pat on the back while leading her toward a carousel of twinkling chains. She wasn't sure which one she should get; they all looked so nice that she was almost afraid to touch them! She'd never had jewelry before.


Hatori:
The best thing about Hatori was that he wasn't one to be angry for prolonged periods of time. Granted that had a lot to do with how idiotic his cousin's stunts were. The suggestion of a romantic dinner, as embarrassing and complicated as it was, didn't strike the dragon as such a bad idea, however. It would have been a lie to say that he hadn't thought vaguely about it himself. It was actually going through with it and having everything work out for the better that was the tough part, as his forming relationship with Imai was still without foundation of any time. All in all, he felt rather rusty when it came to being a knight in shining armor; a tad wary that he may end up being a flop. It had been a while, since Kanna, that he'd even shown remote interest in trying the 'connecting with another person' thing.

During their jaunt through the jewelry store, Hatori was certain that Imai stayed closer to his person than their other cousin, not trusting Shigure to not pull some sort of stunt again. Also, the dragon was quiet through the browsing, not really much of the sort of person to be able to pick out what would work and what wouldn't. It was something for Imai to wear, anyhow. However, he was positive that she would manage to pull off anything that she chose to go with her ring. She had been stunning in the clothes Ayame made her.


Imai:
Of course, she didn't trust Shigure not to pull some sort of stunt.. But she hoped that the sugar dish Hatori had sent to his head and the kick Imai had delivered to his shin would somehow bring some sense into the dog's brain. Imai carefully picked through some of the chains, somehow believing (and her belief was right!) that the higher the number was before the strange 'Y' mark, the more expensive it was.

"They all look so expensive.."


Shigure:
"Oh, Imai. Don't look at the silly numbers... Pretend they don't exist!"
Shigure offered with a dismissive wave of his hand and a more comforting smile then usual. He wanted to see his little cousin happy, and whatever she wanted, she would get.


Imai:
".. Are you certain..? You two have really gone through a lot of trouble already.."
Imai replied with a bit of hesitation, though she kept her eyes trained on all of the twinkling little chains before her.


Shigure:
"It's fine! It's your birthday, so you can have whatever you want! Hell, we all have enough money to own the store! ... Though we probably already do..."


Imai:
"... ... ..."

Imai said nothing to that. Really, she didn't know, or even care, about all of the money of the Sohma family. She looked at a few more chains before pulling a silver one carefully off of the rack, holding it up for the two men to see.

"... Is this one alright?"


Shigure:
"It's perfect..! It'll look great with your ring, Imai-chan! Here, I'll take it up to the register for you!"

Shigure toddled away toward the register when he recieved the chain from Imai, fishing out his wallet so that he could pay for it.


Imai:
Imai continued to stay close to Hatori, bright golden eyes still looking about the store from her vantage point.

"There's so much in here... I've never seen so much jewelry in my life..!"


Hatori:
Hatori did not smile, but there was a distinct warmth in his eyes as he gazed back down at the girl beside him. Though silent, he found this time enjoyable-- Especially when Shigure wasn't talking and they had small segments of time with just each other. Since when had he started to look forward to those sort of moments? Hatori didn't say anything for a second still, briefly looking thoughtful as he considered his internal dilemma. The vacation must have been doing a number on him... A number that was was more welcomed than not.

"Would you like a bracelet to go with your new necklace?" he asked rather randomly, not too sure himself where that had come from. Deep in his subconscious, all he knew was that he wanted to see more of that sparkle in Imai's eyes. She was positively glowing and this change was definitely for the better. It made Hatori feel happy, too.


Imai:
"Oh, no, Hatori... You really don't have to.."

Imai's face turned up, bright gold meeting ice blue at the sound of his voice. A hint of pink crept lazily over the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks as she shook her head, wisps of apple red kissing her cheekbones.

"... You've already gone through so much trouble planning this whole vacation, I'm sure. I couldn't possibly ask for more."

She still believed that this had all been Hatori's idea. Even if she had known that it was really Shigure's idea all along (and that the dog had given Hatori all of the credit) Imai still would have appreciated the fact that he had come along, despite orders from Akito. Just the fact that Hatori didn't mind spending this time with her made her heart soar.

Besides... He'd already kissed her, fell asleep with her, and let her have a soda on top of the vacation. She felt more than just spoiled by the dragon.


Hatori:
"You're not asking for anything more," Hatori informed with the same warmth that was in his eyes in his voice, also. "I was asking."

There was something more to this, though the dragon was still a bit too stubborn to give into believing anything of that sort just yet. Just the two of them being friends was dangerous enough, thus making him skeptical to blossom into something more. However, Hatori was completely aware that it was becoming an issue that was out of his control, and he wondered how much longer it would go on like this. How much longer would he be able to keep himself in check, and how much longer could they go on undiscovered by Akito? Also, would he be able to move on without Kanna in the picture?


Imai:
The flush on Imai's face grew darker before she finally relented. Just like with the impish face she'd given Hatori while asking for a soda, the look that Hatori offered, even without trying, had melted Imai's resolve to not let herself get too spoiled by either Shigure or Hatori.

"... I suppose a bracelet would be nice... Thank you, Hatori."

Imai, herself, wondered about their future. And while she still had her dreams of one day being married to her first love, Hatori, she still knew that they might one day be utterly broken by her brother. There was little hope for a relationship with Hatori.

The first factor had been their age difference; with at least nine years between them, Hatori was much more mature than Imai was... But that hurdle seemed to have been jumped, for Imai had done a bit of growing up. She'd had to take on much more than any girl her age, and it had worked out for the better, in that aspect.

The second hurdle had been the simple fact of being in eachothers' presence. While Hatori worked during the day, and Akito being the watchful hawk that he was over Imai, they simply could not see eachother save for any appointments or mishaps Imai had. But that hurdle had been jumped as well, seeing as Imai and Hatori were quite careful about how they saw eachother in the evenings.

Another had been their family ties. While they were both part of the zodiac as well as cousins, the blood was always quite thin between cousins and second-cousins; so much so that most of the family members hadn't even met eachother. The blood between her and Hatori was so distant, that the idea of a relationship being criminal hadn't even been brought up in Imai's mind.

Another was compatibility. While they were obviously attracted to eachother, Imai and Hatori shared very little in common save for their love of reading and quiet nights with eachother. But despite that, they seemed to get along quite well, which was an honest plus.

But the last hurdles, Imai feared, may never be jumped. Hatori moving on from his loss of Kanna was one that Imai dared not interfere with; it was up to Hatori to deal with that, and Imai really didn't want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. It was Hatori's business. And the last, but certainly not the least...

Imai's sibling... Akito. Akito was so overbearing of his sister, that he had never, in all her life, allowed her to step foot from the estate, save for now. And he was partial to Hatori, as well as Imai. The very idea of letting either of them marry, or even have a relationship, seemed completely out-of-the-question with the head of the family. He'd shattered so many dreams, that Imai's seemed small and feeble compared to many of the others that had been placed at Akito's feet.


Hatori:
He didn't touch Imai, but he did gesture to a second carousel on the opposite side of the counter with one hand. On each of the arms were dangling chains like the necklaces, but these were meant to be worn on the wrist; much shorter in length. Hatori had more involvement in this selection, turning the spool of different metals around as he inspected each and every one. Each of them had different chain link patterns and thickness, but after a moment he was able to pick out one that matched the best.

Taking it from the rack, the dragon's nimble fingers unfastened the clasp and he extended it out after to offer to help her try it on. Hatori had never picked out anything, except for looking for rings when with Kanna, so his unique taste was unknown to him.


Imai:
Imai followed Hatori quietly over to the carousel and watched as he looked about at the bracelets displayed upon it. For a moment, she wondered when their relationship had escalated this far; to where Hatori was offering to buy her jewelry, instead of not giving gifts at all.

She couldn't pin-point the very moment when things had turned to more than friendship between them, and she supposed that after her confession of love to the good doctor, things had merely snowballed from that point.

When Hatori held out the bracelet for Imai to try on, she smiled up at him, hardly noticing that Shigure purposely stalled for time for the pair as he looked about at other pieces of jewelry.


Shigure:
Indeed, he was stalling for time. Shigure had been a bit shocked to find that Hatori was offering to get Imai a bracelet when he'd turned around after purchasing the chain for her necklace. It hit him, deep down, that perhaps his plan to get the pair together didn't need as much help as he'd originally thought... For they seemed to be trucking along quite well, in his humble opinion; he hadn't seen Hatori offer jewelry to anybody, save for Kanna, and he was quite proud of Hatori for taking such a huge step in a positive direction.

He only wished that he'd be home that night to be a fly on the wall; he had plans, sadly, that he couldn't skip out on.


Hatori:
When Hatori was sure that it was the perfect fit, he took the bracelet from Imai's wrist and towards the counter. He didn't say anything, for the moment; he felt there wasn't a need for any words. The one thing that the dragon appreciated most about the rooster was their ability to understand one another without any verbal exchange.

So without a word, Hatori passed Shigure on his way to the counter to complete the transaction personally. Since this really hadn't been his idea, he could at least take genuine credit in part of it. He didn't seem to remember that Shigure was there with them or, if he did, then he made it a point to ignore him and not let him get in the middle of what he wanted to do himself.


Shigure:
Shigure said nothing as Hatori passed, but allowed his eyes to follow the dragon as he made his way toward the counter with his purchase. Letting a genuine smile seep through his usually lecherous or mischievious grin, he let his eyes turn back to his younger cousin. Shigure took particular note of the glimmer in Imai's eyes as she watched Hatori make his way toward the clerk...


Store Clerk:
... Who was quite friendly, but nosey.

"Ah, excellent choice, Sir! A Valentine's Day present for the young lady, I presume?"

The elder man smiled up at the taller man, his wrinkled, aged face looking more like a rotten apple for all of the laugh lines he had carved into his features. He took the bracelet from the tall man and rung it up.

"Ah, I remember when I was young like you and had a lady friend just as pretty as yours. Ah... Here you go. Have a nice day, young man!"


Shigure:
Shigure tried to hide the snicker into his hand as he listened to the old man talk. He'd been given the same speech, only he'd corrected the old coot by saying it was a birthday present for his cousin. Honestly, he never got Imai anything in the name of Valentine's Day -- it was always just for her birthday.


Imai:
Thankfully, Imai couldn't hear the old man's conversation from where she stood, looking down into a glass case that held sparkling necklaces and rings. She hadn't really wanted to pull her eyes from Hatori, but she didn't want to stare! She enjoyed Hatori's offer of the bracelet more than he probably realized, and she, like him, appreciated the fact that words did not need to pass between them for communication to happen -- for her, it was almost as though they had a mental connection that neither had really realized.


Hatori:
The friendly old man was just as disregarded as Shigure had been, though Hatori was completely rude with the way he went about it. He just let the man talk, not particularly making any sort of eye contact through the exchange and only murmuring a thank you when the purchase was done and the bag was handed over to him.

Turning from the counter, he faced his two cousins again and let his eye brows quirk up; a silent way of asking if they were as ready to go as he was. There was only so much of this sort of place he could take, after all.


Imai:
When Imai heard the distinct ring of the register, she looked up and smiled. She knew Hatori wanted to go... He'd been eager to leave the diner earlier, and probably didn't want to stay around in public for too long when it came to this place... Especially with all of the people who were now starting to file in. She gave him a nod to let him know that she was just as ready as he was, turning her eyes, finally, to Shigure.


Shigure:
Who had, all of a sudden, come to stand next to Imai with the chain in hand.

"Well! Are we ready to go?"

He chose not to let Hatori on to the fact that he'd seen the dragon buy a gift for Imai. Putting an arm around the rooster's shoulder, he grinned.

"The lakehouse is waiting!"


Imai:
As they left the jewelry store, Imai continued to stick close to her elder cousins; the street wasn't filled with people, but there were still a few hazards that Imai didn't want to come into contact with. The last thing she needed was to bump into a random person, become a fluttery, clucking mass of feathers, and then have Hatori erase everyone's memories... Besides, that would complicate her return to the Main House more than she knew it already would be.


Hatori:
Hatori hung on to the bag as they made their way back to the lake house, still as quiet as he had been since they finished breakfast. Along the way, he thought about everything and nothing at all-- as cliche as that might have been. He was glad to have made Imai's birthday something special, though a tad anxious that it had carried on too far, since he was still uncertain about where they stood as far as romance was concerned.

For now, however, it was something that he'd keep from dwelling on. It was Imai's day and it wasn't quite over yet. If he were the reason why it all went down hill at the very end, he would be very disappointed with himself.


Imai:
Imai would have doubted if Hatori could have made the day end on a bad note; if anything, he always made the end of each day joyous for her -- why would her birthday be any different?

Imai sat in the front passenger seat of the car as they made their way home, and while her eyes were trained to the wonders of outside, they were unseeing. Her mind wandered endlessly down the same path it always did when she had time to think, and the subject was always the same -- Hatori.

She might have feared that she was obsessing over the handsome doctor, but she knew better than to think she could obsess over anything. She was merely in love with him, that was all -- madly, deeply in love, and while her feelings for Hatori had seemingly settled themselves permanently into her heart, she knew that she had to give time Hatori to catch up. At first, she had feared that he never would; that he would never move on an inch from Kanna or his fear of what Akito might do to Imai... But now, even as Hatori made small steps out of the ice that surrounded his heart, Imai was hopeful and patient.


Shigure:
Once everyone was finally inside the lakehouse, Shigure gave a long, hard stretch before pulling the small bag that contained Imai's chain from the inside of his robes.

".. Well, why don't we put on your new sparklies! Hatori..? You still have the ring in your pocket, don't you?"

Shigure gave a wide grin in Hatori's direction as he pulled the chain from the bag and held it up.

"Why don't you do the honors of helping her with it?"

He couldn't help but dig the knife in just a little bit!


Hatori:
The good doctor shot the dog a look, for he knew just what his cunning cousin was up to. Any little thing to try to push the situation, it seemed. Hatori, in this case, wouldn't be stubborn. He took the chain from the dog and proceeded to thread the ring upon it after withdrawing it from the safety of his pockets. Shigure wouldn't get the chance to be more suggestive, for the dragon had made his way behind Imai to loop the necklace gently about her neck, fastening it for her so they could see how it fit.

His gift, for now, would remain in the box and the plastic bag. Unaware that Shigure already knew of it, Hatori would rather make a show of it when it was just the two of them. Him and Imai, that is.

When it was in place, Hatori stepped back beside Shigure to get a look at it as well.


Imai:
Imai smiled when Hatori moved behind her to place the necklace around her neck, and she tilted her head forward, moving her cherry hair from the nape of her neck to allow the dragon to clasp it easier.

When he was through, she lifted a hand up to instinctively touch the ring that lay against her upper chest before smiling and, with a bit of playfulness, held her arms out and turned a bit as though modeling the brand new piece of jewelry... The only piece she owned, save for the bracelet from Hatori.


Shigure:
"Well, well! I think it looks rather nice, don't you?"

He grinned over at Hatori and gestured toward their younger cousin.

"Absolutely lovely! I've never seen her in jewelry before, and I think it's very flattering; very flattering, indeed!"


Imai:
Imai flushed at Shigure's overzealous comments, turning her face away from the pair in order to hide the soft giggle she let out. She made no comment about the bracelet that still lay in Hatori's pocket, certain that he would want to give it to her when they were alone.

The rest of the day was spent with Shigure nittering in their ears about useless nonsense, and Imai finally retreated to her room for a well-needed nap and some silence. Eventually, Shigure managed to usher her out of her room to go swimming, eat some lunch, and rot her brain with the zombie movie she had neglected to watch with him the night before.

By the time the sun went down, Imai was quite ready to take a bath and be alone with Hatori.


Hatori:
Through that time Imai spent with Shigure, Hatori took the opportunity to relax and let himself unwind from the busy day. He was never one to go out for too awfully long, and certainly never to jewelry stores. The stress wasn't anything that couldn't be helped by a cup of black coffee and a few cigarettes. Seated outside on the deck of the lake house, the dragon had only filled up a quater of his ash tray as he watched the stars twinkle in the dark stretch of sky above. Even through the blackness of the night, there was still a good view of the large body of water that reflected the pale glow of the waxing moon. In the distance, crickets chirped in a soothing night time symphony.

Hatori was completely relaxed by the time movies were over and baths were taken, though he showed no signs of moving to go back inside any time soon. It had been almost twenty minutes between his third cancer stick and he was reaching already for a fourth.


Shigure:
And while the little rooster took her typical night-time bath, Shigure disappeared into his room. When he came back out, he was dressed in a finer robe than usual. Nothing too fancy, but nicer. The sound of a honking horn came from outside just as Shigure was slipping on his shoes.


Imai:
Imai's bath was quick, and she came out, still towel drying her dripping hair as Shigure was preparing to leave.

"Where are you off to, Gure-ni-san?"


Shigure:
"Oh.. Just out for awhile. I won't be back too late, I promise."
Shigure smiled at his little cousin and offered a dismissive shrug.


Imai:
"Is that Hatori honking?"

She didn't see the doctor anywhere, and she figured that he must be the one honking outside, not knowing that he was just outside on the deck.


Shigure:
"No, actually..."

Shigure let out a nervous laugh as he pulled on his coat.

"... That's my editor."


Imai:
"Where in the world would you be going with her? Doesn't she pester you enough?"


Shigure:
"Well... I promised that I'd make all of my deadline skipping up to her. I chose dinner, but she chose the night."


Imai:
"Smart woman... Have fun... No hugging, okay?"


Shigure:
"Yes, mother... You and Ha'ri behave, alright?"


Imai:
"Right, right. Just get out of here -- I think everyone within a ten mile radius deserves the break. Now get out of here before she sticks her hand through the steering wheel."

Sighing, Imai ushered her elder cousin out of the door, waved him good-bye, and went back inside. At least she knew that it would be a quiet night without Shigure bothering her and Hatori!


Hatori:
The honking broke the tranquillity along with Hatori's peace of mind and relaxation. Who in the world would be outside this late, let alone honking outside their pretty private vacation home? He couldn't see the person in the car yards away in the drive, but he did recognize Shigure's form coming from the house and towards the parked auto.

Frowning, the doctor only paused long enough to snub out his half finished cigarette before heading back inside, closing the sliding door shut behind him. A few long strides carried him all the way into the front room where Imai perhaps still was, a slightly annoyed expression painting his strong features.
"Who was that out there?" he wondered, not pausing until he was at the door and able to peer through the glass windows there, but in vain. Shigure's editor apparently didn't waste any time to get down to business.


Imai:
"Shigure's editor... At first I thought it might be you, since I couldn't find you in the house. Though... Now that I think about it, I doubt you'd be honking -- you have too much patience."

Imai chuckled, pulling the towel from the top of her head to rub lightly at the tips where water still gathered.

"... I guess we can look forward to a quiet evening; I swear... You'd think Shigure would have run out of breath by this time."

Imai sat down on the couch, turning the television off with the remote control before bringing her comb from her lap and going about the task of untangling the mass of red that her hair had become -- Shigure had used the last of her conditioner, apparently.

Imai wasn't tired, despite the long and exciting day -- if anything, the thought of having some quality time with Hatori made her excited and pumped her full of energy, and she marveled at the feeling.


Hatori:
"Hn," said Hatori, now disinterested as he turned away from the door and made his way back towards the center of the room, joining Imai on the opposite end of the couch. He had the faint scent of cigarette smoke still following him, though he had managed to leave most of it outside on the balcony.
"I wouldn't count on it to last for too long."

Shigure would no doubt find some way to drive the woman out of her sanity, getting the two of them ejected from the restaurant. Though it would take the dog some time to walk home from town. This train of thought left a particularly smug smirk on the doctor's face as he sat back to enjoy the silence again.


Imai:
Now Imai had never seen THAT expression on Hatori's face before! She hadn't even been certain if Hatori had more than two expressions to his entire person -- wasn't even certain if he could FEEL smug, much less have such a grin on his face. Imai smirked and shook her head a bit, still combing out some of the tangles in her hair.

When she was finished, she stood and took her towel and comb to be put away, only to find herself on the couch afterwards. With so much silence, she was hardly able to figure out what to do with it!

Imai lifted a hand to the necklace that dangled about her neck, glimmering in the light of the room, and smiled.

"Thank you, Hatori.. For everything. You two make me feel so spoiled -- I don't know what to do with myself!"


Hatori:
Hatori actually had a variety of expressions and emotions, though they were really only ever displayed in front of the other two members of the mabudachi trio. That wasn't to say that Imai wasn't getting close to the doctor like that, either.

Lifting his arms up and folding them around the back of his head, Hatori let himself recline back as far as the piece of furniture would allow, lifting his brows as the smirk faded away when Imai spoke to him.
"You don't have to say thank you for that. It is your birthday, after all."


Imai:
Imai smiled and shook her head, eyes settling on the doctor before she scooted closer to him until she was seated right at his side; speaking to him when he was all the way on the other end of the couch was awkward.

"It doesn't change the fact that I'm still thankful for it; this is the most anyone has ever done for me in my life -- it makes me feel special."

Still smiling, Imai tilted her head to the side as though contemplating what to say next. She settled with the first thing that came to mind.

"... So... What do you want to do for dinner tonight? Shigure's out of the house, so we'll be able to have a nice and quiet meal for once. I could fix something..."

It had only dawned on her at that moment that nobody had eaten dinner yet, and she WAS looking forward to a quiet meal with Hatori -- she'd never had one...

... And one HAD to be certain that Imai's cooking, however rarely she DID cook, was far better than Shigure's.


Hatori:
The dragon, on the other hand, had a different idea up his sleeve. Though the day was over, Imai's birthday wasn't and Hatori didn't want her to have to do any sort of chores on her special time. At least that's what he thought.

His gaze didn't waver even when his cousin scooted a good deal closer to him, a small smile playing at the right corner of his mouth.
"How about if we get delivery? You like sushi, don't you? There's a place that will even ship ramen and it doesn't take very long. We could eat outside on the balcony."

Really, Hatori didn't feel much like going out again, either. He had just gotten settled down and to be on the go again? It was more comfortable under the roof of their own vacation house, and he was positive that Imai wouldn't object.


Imai:
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Hatori."

Imai's smile softened, and for some reason, she thought that the idea of eating a quiet take-out dinner on the balcony was actually quite romantic. Besides... Now that she thought about it, she doubted that Shigure had bought much of anything in the way of food items (except for junk food; HE could live off of that stuff, but she knew that she and Hatori couldn't) not to mention that going out would mean that she would have to get dressed and there would be a god-awful amount of people on the streets this time of night, given the occasion.

Her heart fluttered with the idea of a truly quiet meal under the stars with the doctor; at least she wouldn't have to worry about a freak accident in the kitchen, in case she happened to do something wrong!


Hatori:
Once the plan was confirmed, Hatori stood from the couch and began the trek across the room to where the phone was located on top of a small side table against the far wall.
"Would you like sushi and ramen?" he wondered, thumbing through a little black book kept in one of the stand's drawers.

Hatori didn't take vacations much, but he had been to the lake house enough. Regardless, for the others that frequented it more, he left that means of contact in case of an emergency. One could never be too safe with a family like theirs.
"I don't have a menu, but those are the best I've seen from the restaurant."


Imai:
"Sushi and ramen sounds wonderful, Hatori."

Imai's voice fluttered to the doctor's ears from the couch, the soft tones of it, still shy and reserved for the most part, sounded just as pleased with this idea as she had been with all of his other ideas. Especially concerning her vacation from the Main House for her birthday.

The young rooster still believed Hatori responsible for this mini birthday-vacation, and she adored him more now than she ever had before, were it truly possible. He was allowing her to see the outside world for the first time in her life, and it was an experience that she would never forget. Even Imai doubted that Hatori's powers over memory could supress these past nights and days spent with him and their other cousin.

Imai had spent a long time thinking about the situation at hand; she and Hatori had been spending a great deal of time together, and from what Imai had noticed from some of the changes in Hatori's attitude toward her, Imai suspected that she would not have to wait for very much longer before Hatori admitted, at least to himself, that he felt SOMETHING for her.

So far, their relationship had escalated from simple nightly readings, to kissing beneath sunsets, sleeping together (in a most chaste sense), and swapping presents and knowing glances.

**I promised Hatori that I would wait for him forever if I had to... Now, I think that I might not have to wait quite that long.**

With the thought, Imai smiled. She barely noticed that her golden gaze was almost blankly, but lovingly watching Hatori as he dialed the numbers on the telephone. Even as he ordered their dinner, Imai's heart fluttered at the sound of his voice. She only dreaded that Shigure would end up getting himself and his editor kicked out of the restaurant before Hatori had the chance to give Imai the bracelet he'd bought her in secret. As much as Hatori seemed to want to spoil Imai, she was not dumb to the fact that Hatori liked to keep it quiet... Or at least a total secret from Shigure.

Shigure just couldn't keep his mouth shut, that was all.