Authors note:

I corrected the chapters and to let you know I reuploaded chapter five.

I don't know where they live, but I guess it's not in big city like Tokio... maybe someweher near the coast? I don't know. Whatever the class reuinion is in Tokio and I hope it's ok for you that they don't live there.

This ones really metaphoric, the snowball's Hatori because he really doesn't like reunions but the snowball melts and becomes water because the spring is the time they spent in Tokio ;).

"So I said I'm a snowball running

Running down into the spring that's coming all this love"

Letter to a class reunion

Hatori opened his eyes just to notice he didn't were a shirt and tie, wich wasn't that bad he didn't like ties anyway. As he turned his head to his right, Shigure sat there with crossed legs. On them a towel, and on the towel lay different medicines. His stomach dropped, even though the dog was the only one who at least knew one or two things more than John Q. Public didn't mean he knew enough to look after Hatori.

The dog looked up and smiled, "Haa-san you're awaken!".

"Uhm... yeah? why so surprised?" Hatori responded.

As he remembered he didn't wear any shirt he glanced at his friend with a questioning look.

"Shigure? if you don't mind - would you tell me what happened to my shirt?" he asked, suspecting a little story as an excuse.

The dogs face ashened and he looked over to the bin. He had disposed the shirt, in his haze of getting away the blood had he used it to sweep up.

"I'm sorry..." he said "I still..." he stopped noticing he'd never told Hatori about his fear of blood, wich caused his fear of injections in some sort of way.

He sighed. Then he said "I never told you, even Akito doesn't know... I guess it isn't an excuse... and maybe it causes my fear of injections I don't know but I get really terrified when I see blood..." silence "I don't know why..." he said finally.

After a while Hatori smirked "no need to excuse, we alle have our weak points" he said "and now get me a knew shirt, there are some in the cupboard in the bathroom".

Shigure nodded, stood up and left the room in order to get a shirt for his friend.

Hatori still felt a bit muzzy, his view wasn't clear at all and sometimes he just saw black for a few seconds. But all in all he felt better since yesterday. With a sense of blur in his view he stood up trying to hold the balance. His head felt like a numb something, throbbing from pain, but definitly not like his head.

The living room was never a place he'd liked, maybe cause it reminded him of so many things he'd preffered to ferget. Looking around, his eyes found a picture from highschool... something was strange about this picture. Normllay... normally... there's a picture of Kana isn't it? he thought, rubbing his forehead in case of head aches.

With a creak Shigure opened the door "here you go" he said, tossing a shirt over to Hatori. Who put it on immediately. Thinking about it for a minute he decided not to discuss the changing of the photograph, there were things more important.

"What happend? I mean last night? Has he told you why he was here?" he asked. His voice was wavering and thin as he spoke.

But instead of an awnser his friend just looked over to the bin.

Seems to be his awnser for everything today... the dragon thought a bit annoyed.

Shigure had disposed the bugs into the bin, but after all he wasn't sure anymore if that was the right option. They could still be working. He sighed stood up and got the bugs, acting fussy in order not to touch the bloody shirt.

With a little part of him protesting he darted them to the ground.

He grunted disdainful, and mumbled with a lot of anger in his voice "Akito that bastard bugged your house 'n office!".

Stairing at the bugs, it were seven, Hatori found himself wondering what Akito knew. Though it explained a lot. E.g. that he'd came yesterday expecting someone here. And after thinking a while - wich was quite a hard option in Hatoris conditions, because it mostly caused even more head aches - he wasn't that sure anymore Akito knew about that one evening/night. He might have heard about Kana... that should explain why he was after Gure-san, he thought.

Chinking dishes brought him back to reality. He still stood there, not moving, not doing anything just stairing. The only thing wich seemd to have changed was that wore a shirt now.

The dog was carrying two dishes with breakfast on them. For the first time Hatori realized how hungry he was. His stomach grumbled. Both of them sat down on the couch, quietly eating their breakfast. Wich was rather barren compared with the usuall, and cold. Not that they cared, no he was to glad to at least have one. At least Hatori thought at least it's something to eat. He eyed Shigure, who seemed as stressed as he felt sick. The dogs face was still ashened, he seemed tired. For sure Hatori for himself looked even more worse. And even more worse seemed to be unstated, if you mentioned how sick he felt.

When he finished his breakfast Hatori shut his eyes. The food did good to him, it made him feel a bit more lively.

"Was that all?" he asked.

His voice was still low and brittle, not like his own normaly sharp, defining, clear and calm voice.

Shigure, whos voice was also low but more sharp than Hatoris, said "you coughed blood, if you didn't guess till now, you broke down, dunno why you seemed ok before something wrong with you?. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but... acctually I'm glad all that happened to you... it saved my life I don't know what Akito would've done if you weren't..." his voice faded.

The dragon could feel Shigure eyeing him. Some memories came up into his mind, but they were too blurred. He couldn't tell what he had acctually happened. He sighed, one plam on his forehead.

"Everything ok?" Shigure asked, more to show he cared than really wondering.

--o--

Days passed by. Hatori didn't know how much time went by. As often as possible he visited Kana and his son. Akito seemed to get over what had happened. But it had a price Kyo wasn't anymore the only outleft memeber, Shigure was now to. And Hatori was sure that he was just tolarated by Akito, because he was the doctor. The only doctor who knew about the Juuinchi.

Though Shigure hadn't told anybody. When Akito wanted to talk to the zodiac members, he was the last one to be called. Tohru noticed that things had changed but didn't say a thing. She knew if she wanted to be tolerated, she had to take Akitos decisions without objections. Everyone had his/her burden and that was her.

--o--

Shigure, who was well again, visited Hatori nearly everyday. An exception were the days when Akito was around. Though Akito wasn't anymore on a dog-hunt it could still be dangerous for Shigure being aroung him. So Hatori had provided Shigure to stay away from Akito in case of not wanting to get harmed.

Hatori felt a lot better than before, like something was taken away from him. Not that it mattered as long as it was healthy for him. He looked at the clock, 2.34 p.m. showed the hands. Biting his lip he wondered what Shigure was doing, he should be here by now... Hatori thought. It was unusall for him to be late. Especially when he was called to Hatori and it didn't involve any injections.

Suddenly he heard someone knocking, then Shigures familiar voice saying "there I am! Did you worry Hari-kun?".

The dogs face appeared round the corner he was smiling from ear to ear.

"You didn't leave any time to" Hatori responded shortly.

"Nah Hari! Don't be like that!" the dog said huffy.

"Like what?"

"... Uhm so... so..." he scrapped the back of his head "...withdrawn I hate that!".

The dragon sighed "I'm really sorry for being myself" he said with a resigning voice.

Shigure looked up "I'm sorry... it's just that...".

But Hatori just heard the beginning "correct me if I'm wrong was that an apologize?".

"Uhm... yeah? but thats not the point" he hold up a letter "know whats this?".

The dragon shook his head, wondering what was so important about this letter.

Grinning Shigure handed it over to Hatori singing "class reunion!".

"You're kidding" Hatori said opening the letter.

But his friend was right "Class reunion" it said in big letters on the top. He'd never been a friend of stuff like this, though Shigure and Ayame were. He'd always found an excuse, but this time... there was none. Not when Shigure was around him all day. He had to go there, with both of them.

Sighing he handed it back to Shigure "in two days, eh?" he asked.

"Yeah, and you know what?".

"No... and I bet I don't want to...".

"I promised Aya to get you there! And I won't leave you alone untill you got there and even Akito can't be an excuse anymore he's healthy!".

Hatori burried his face in his hands, when Shigure promised Aya something he always found a way to accomplish it. There was no way to get around it.

He noticed the suitcase near the door Shigure had brought "what's that for? are you gonna run away from the reunion or what?".

The dog chuckled "we're gonna go on a trip to Tokio, that's were the class reunion also is".

"Tickets?".

"Got 'em already you just have to pack some things, and we can go!".

When was the last time he'd seen his friend that truely happy? He couldn't recall anything.

The dog expected Hatori to complain but was instead asked "what about Akito?".

"Oh we just leave a letter for our spoiled princess" he said grinning and held up another letter.

"I just wrote it, you just have to sign it too, Aya already did".

"..." Hatori took the letter silent and signed. Then he went upstairs to pack some things.

His friend could alwas get him around. There was this strange feeling he couldn't name.

He got downstairs Shigure had called a taxi to the airport. They had allocated the jobs, the dragon was gonna bring the letter to Akito while Shigure was about to pick up Aya and wait for him at the taxi. Aya was leaning against the taxi door flirting with the driver. As he saw him he told the driver one last thing and got into the car. Silently Hatori sat down next to Shigure.
Aya sat ahead of them, he seemed to be too attracted from the driver to notice anything else. There was this uneasy feeling tha dragon had all along, what did Aya know about...? Had Shigure even told him?

"Nah, Tori!" Aya said "don't be so tied up in knots, noones gonna harm you on the class reunion, are they Gure?".

"No of cause not, Aya's right Hari, cheer up! Everythings gonna be alright!".

The at first weak grin turned into got stronger the closer they came to the airport. For the first time in his life Hatori came to know what freedom really ment. Untill now he'd never noticed what strong and heavy burden, as the doctor of the cursed, lay on his shoulders. He was glad to give it away just for a few days.

--o--

They reached the airport, did time pass by so fast? Shigure wondered. Eight years since they left school... he'd never wanted to become a novelist then but when he found out how much fun it was. He'd started to want to be one. The three of them stood there at the airport, a bit away from all the haze. Not wanting to transform in front of someone. When the announcement for their flight sounded, they already sat in the plain. Next to each other, talking, remembering old times

Four to six hours the flight was going to take, four to six hours for them to ferget what they were. Being yourself, letting others come close just for a while. A while you don't have to worry about anything.

Half of the flight Aya and Shigure were flirting with each other and him of cause. But after a while he got tired, not because of them. He just hadn't slept well or not a bit for the last few days. Glad to know his friends by his side he closed his eyes, his head on the dogs shoulder he fell asleep.

"Ah, eh Hari don't fall asleep!" Shigure protested but the dragon was already asleep.

"Aya? what do you think? I'm hungry shall we call one of those nice, nice stewardesses? Hmm... maybe the one with the beautiful long legs? eh?" he said grinning.

"No you can get some food when we are in Tokio, hey have I told you..." Aya had talked for the last hours without taking breath. And even now he it didn't seem like he was gonna stop.

Even though Aya was by him, for Shigure the flight felt like years. With Hatoris head on his shoulder this all seemed like dream. Quite an odd dream... he thought chuckling. Aya was such a funny guy. He whined a bit often, but so did Shigure. The perfect trio together with Hatori, who kept their heads down on earth.

--o--

The plain landed. Hatori grunted and mumbled something. Shigure woke him up and he and Hatori and Aya got out. Waiting for ther suitcases. Tokio, a huge city. There were many problems but also many joys waiting for them. The problem with transforming seemed not so big anymore, as long as they had each other and many many miles between them and Akito. Akito! Hatori thought what's he gonna do when he finds out?. He didn't know and was glad he didn't, when they would come back there would be no way of escaping him. But that wasn't something he had to think about now. Now was now. So he pushed the thought into the back of his mind.

Aya had booked a hotel far away from the airport and the city, there weren't man people. He had arranged it that everyone of them got a room for himself.

"Ah... wonderfull!" Shigure said.

He was on the balcony wich allyed their rooms. Hatori was leaning against the banister, smoking as he saw his friend he offered him a cigarette.

"Where's Aya? isn't he supposed to be here?" he asked.

Hatori shook his head "he's in the city buying food and stuff...".

"Oh... hm..." pause "I haven't told him" Shigure said finally when he'd finished his cigarette. "There's no need to, he'd just get upset and sometimes... sometimes the truth... it better remains silent I guess".

Hatori didn't say a thing, he just smiled for a few seconds.

The thruth better remains silent Hatori thought. Then he didn't know how important this sentence would be and how many stupid excuses and weasle words it would cause. This one night. He smirked and put out the cigarette. Then he went back into his room, unpacking his things. Just like Shigure did.

END CHAPTER FIVE