Reign knocked on Kazuma's dojo and within a few seconds, he opened the door and Reign bowed her head. He did the same back and chuckled at her unusual bowing of the head that she never does when she meets him. Reign raised a brow when she heard him chuckle and scoffed, shoving past him playfully.
"Aren't you just as sweet as you were when you were younger?" he joked.
"I like to think I am." she threw back. "Don't you?"
He let out a laugh. "I may have to think about that."
Reign was going to say something back but the boys at the dojo started talking to her.
"What brings you here Reign?" one asked enthusiastically.
"Will you finally let master teach you at the dojo?"
Reign shook her head and laughed. "No no, I'm here to talk to him."
Kazuma walked past them and gestured for Reign to follow him. "Don't pester her too much guys. She only comes every blue moon."
Reign scoffed. "I do not! I try to come as often as I can!"
"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that Reign." he teased. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, walking into his office.
Reign calmed herself before speaking. "I want to talk to you about Isuzu."
Kazuma turned to face her and put his arms in his sleeves. "What about Isuzu?"
"She recently had a bad breakdown and now she's back in the hospital. I'm watching over as a guardian and doctor right now but she will need somewhere to go once I release her after she's gained some weight and her injury has healed. She needs to be around people who can make her feel comfortable and bring her out of her comfort zone."
"So you want to bring her here." he finished.
Reign nodded. "She's drained emotionally and physically. Being here would do some good. I talked with her a few days ago and she said she would like to come here and visit me on occasion but she wanted to know how you'd feel about it."
Kazuma smiled and walked to the window, watching the people outside of it practice the basic moves to martial arts.
"I'd be more than happy to have her stay here. She's been around me since Kyo and the rest were kids."
She smiled and clasped her hands together. "Great! I feel much better getting that off of my shoulders now. She would like you to come visit her personally and tell her your decision. I think it's better if she hears it from you instead of me."
"It's a wonder you got all of that out of her." he commented softly. "You truly are the one zodiac that everyone can lean upon."
"I wouldn't say-"
"Take my compliment." he chuckled. "I mean it. You're loved by many and are selfless despite what others say about you."
Reign smirked. "Why so suddenly? Do you know something about me that I don't?"
"Perhaps but I'll wait until you want to tell me to voice my opinion on it." he shrugged off.
Reign smacked her lips and opened the door to the his office. "You are truly like my father. It's no wonder you two are friends."
Kazuma smiled at her. "Don't wait so long to visit me next time. I'll go looking for you myself."
"I won't. Tell everyone I said hello." she said before closing the door behind her.
*
The conversation that Reign had been meaning to have with Hatori finally came about. She had been putting it off because she wasn't so sure as to how he would react but she didn't want to wait any longer. Reign put her hair into a tight bun at the back of her head and put a pink flower hairpin in her bun, leaving her bangs to frame her face and put on a black kimono that had pink flowers on it and gold lining inside of it.
She walked downstairs and prepared tea for them to drink as they talked and brought it outside to her backyard where she had a table and a seating area. Reign had a nice sized couch out there with some chairs that she never used since she never really went outside at her house. As she was setting out the cups, she heard her doorbell ring. Reign composed herself as she walked through the house to open the door.
When she opened it she saw Hatori dressed casually. Reign opened the door wider and moved out of the way so he could enter. He did so and put his hands in his pockets as Reign shut the door behind him.
"I decided that we should talk outside. The weather's nice and I don't want to stay cooped up in my home." she said, walking towards her backyard.
"I see."
The curt response made goosebumps form on Reign's arms but she couldn't focus on them. She had bigger things to worry about. When they got outside, the two of them sat down on the couch Reign had. Reign sat on one of her legs facing Hatori while he sat faced turned her.
"Now," he said, picking up his tea. "What did you need to talk about?"
Reign sighed and played with her sleeves on her kimono. "Promise me you'll hear me out."
He nodded and set his cup down. "Why wouldn't I? You haven't had an unreasonable request as of late."
"Well this one may seem that way to you."
Hatori went to cup her cheek but she didn't let him. He retracted his hand and eyed her.
"Please, enlighten me. You're acting weird." he said, looking away from her.
She cleared her throat before speaking. "We both know that we're in a relationship. I don't want to continue to have to hide this relationship just because of Akito. So, I was thinking we go and-"
"No." Hatori said firmly.
Reign paused for a moment, processing his words before speaking. "No? Why not?"
"Reign I'm partially blind in one eye thanks to Akito. You remember what happened last time I brought my relationship status up to Akito."
"I'm well aware! I was the one who treated you and Kana!" she said, her voice becoming a bit louder.
Hatori sighed. "Then what makes you think I'd go and bring this relationship up with Akito? The same thing would happen, if not something worse."
Reign scoffed. "I'm not Kana and you're not you from three years ago."
"Regardless the same result would occur. Let's not say anything."
"You're serious?" she asked, her voice becoming quiet. "Do you want to keep hiding like this? Are you satisfied like this?"
He didn't say anything and that angered Reign. She didn't want to be around him anymore because of his sudden attitude change. A relationship was about compromise. She went at his pace with a lot of things and he did the same with her but this was something really big and he didn't even consider it. That in itself made her upset. Reign got up and walked away from him, only for him to grab her hand and stop her from leaving.
"Let go of me." she said, trying to calm herself.
"If I let you go you'll be even more upset. Just sit down and we'll talk about something else." he simply said.
The tone of his voice made Reign nearly snicker. It was laughably calm and hadn't been effected by what she said at all.
"Hatori, I'll tell you just this once to let me go. The next time I-"
"Is this really something to get so worked up about? Why can't we hide our relationship for a bit longer and enjoy it without the eyes of many watching? Is that so wrong for me to want?"
Reign whipped her head around to look at him and glared hard. When Hatori saw her face his grip loosened on her arm and Reign took the opportunity to yank it from him.
"Then tell me something like that then!" she screamed. "Don't just sit there and give me an 'I don't care' attitude, Hatori Soma!"
After saying that, she walked angrily into her house and into her office. She didn't get to shut the door though since Hatori ran after her. Reign tried to shut him out but he was stronger than her and pushed it open. Reign let out a deep breath and shoved him back.
"Stop following me!" she yelled.
Hatori didn't say anything and let her shove him.
"You have me by your side this time! Why can't you let me protect you from Akito?"
He still didn't say anything. The silence of him angered her. She shoved him again and after being knocked back a few steps, he walked right back to her.
"At least say something! Don't be silent!"
Hatori still didn't say anything. He simply put his hands around her head and brought her into a tight hug. He kissed the top of her head and Reign nearly melted into it until she remembered the current situation. Reign shoved him off of her and glared at him again.
"I'll tell you one thing Hatori," she said putting her hand against her forehead. "You've met my parents. We've been through a lot together. Our friends know about our relationship, yet over this one simple thing you got an attitude and went silent on me?" she scoffed. "I'll try to be more understanding of how you feel but at this current moment I can't and won't. And since I can't be more understanding, how about we take a break?"
When the words left Reign's mouth she felt a pain go throughout her chest. She looked at Hatori and his eyes looked sad. His overall body language changed drastically compared to what she thought but she didn't care. He shot her down without listening to her reason and since that happened, she didn't care how he felt.
Hatori took a shaky deep breath and pushed his hair back. "Are you serious? Is that what you want? After meeting your parents you suddenly want to take a break?"
Reign nodded, tears in her forming in her eyes. "You've hurt me by not even listening to what I have to say. You turned me down instantly yet expect me to listen you? How the hell does that work?"
"If that's what you want then I'll comply. How long do you think this break will last?" he asked hesitantly, walking towards her.
"I don't know." she said, her voice breaking. "However long until we finally can go talk to Akito."
Hatori put both of his hands around her neck, lifting her face up to meet his. Hatori kissed her softly and Reign let him. Her tears fell as she kissed him back but she suddenly felt tears that weren't hers. Hatori broke the kiss and put his forehead against Reign's. Reign opened her eyes and saw him staring at her with tears streaming down his face. Reign's heart clenched and it made her want to go back on her words but she couldn't.
Reign kissed him once more before grabbing his arms and pulling them away from her face. She kissed his forehead softly and walked away. Reign left her house and got in her car. She drove to Ayame's and tried to calm herself as she did so. When she got there it looked as if no one was inside but after knocking on the door Ayame opened it. He looked as if he was just sleep and had only woken up because Reign knocked on the door.
"My dear Reign, I just went to sleep so if you-"
Reign cut him off by hugging him. With the hug she began to shake before breaking down and crying. Ayame was taken by surprise as he hugged her back and brought her into his house, closing the door behind him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice alarmed. "You never cry!"
"I don't think me and Hatori will work out." she cried. "He's still so stuck in the past and I can't do it."
Ayame hugged her tighter. "I'm sorry love."
Reign sobbed and cling onto him hard. "All I wanted was to stop having to hide our relationship but he didn't even want that. I'm tired of sneaking around Ayame!"
Ayame couldn't respond to her. The most he could do was try to reassure her that she would be fine. Reign couldn't listen to his words but having Ayame there for her meant a lot. She cried in his arms for a while before she finally calmed down enough to drink something but right after she was so tired from crying that she fell asleep. Ayame carried her into one of his spare rooms and put a blanket over her. Her eyes were swollen from crying but she looked peaceful as she slept. Ayame couldn't imagine what all had happened that would lead Reign to crying so openly. He'd just have to ask her later if she wanted to talk.
*
When Reign woke up the next day she had a bad headache and was still in her clothes from yesterday. Her hair pin was on the table next to the bed but her bun was still in place. Next to the hairpin was a glass of water, a pill, and a note. She sat up in the bed and opened the note. It was Ayame's handwriting and she smiled at it.
I left a headache reliever pill and a glass of water for you. Sorry I couldn't stay with you but I did go out and bought you some breakfast. Tell me everything when you get ready. Sincerely yours, Ayame.
Reign took the pill and drank the water before getting out of bed and going into the kitchen. The breakfast he bought her was a clear broth noodle soup with meat and vegetables in it. Reign didn't have much of an appetite but she refused to throw away the food Ayame got for her. She ate it and enjoyed it. Afterwards, she cleaned her area of eating and washed the container it came in before leaving his house.
She didn't want to go home but since Hikaru was due any day now, she needed to be on standby. Another reason why she needed to go home was because of Rin. She needed to go check on Rin to uphold her promise. Reign drove home and took a soothing bath, riding herself if last nights events. She sat in the bath for a while thinking about how she should act around him now since they were no longer going to as cuddly as they used to be and she just decided to let it play out however it did when they were together.
Reign got out of the bath and got ready for the day. She left her hair down but pulled some of it back into a low ponytail so it wouldn't be in her way too much and spaced her bangs out a little. Her clothes were a high-waisted black pencil skirt that had a slit in it that went to her knees and a white blouse shirt that was flowy as it went down her arms. She tucked that into her skirt and matched it with a pair of black heels.
Reign decided to leave her doctors bag before driving to the hospital. She kind of liked working at the hospital but she enjoyed being able to work from home. Reign arrived at the hospital and checked in, greeting nurses and the other doctors on her way in. Reign put on her doctors jacket on and put the relevant items in her pocket, putting her stethoscope around her neck. Once done, she went up to Rin's room.
When Reign opened the door to the room, Tohru was inside with Rin talking. Reign bowed her head and Tohru stood up to bow to her.
"You work here too?" Tohru asked, still standing.
Reign chuckled awkwardly. "You can say that. It depends on who I'm treating. But enough about me, how are you two?"
"I've been well!" Tohru answered. "I'm glad Isuzu let me come visit."
Rin huffed and turned away. "I only did so because I knew you would keep asking until I gave in."
Reign smiled and walked over to the bed where Rin sat. "Have they done a checkup on you? What did they say?"
"Yes and they said I'd be able to leave within the next week." she answered, turning her head to face Reign.
"Has Kazuma come by?"
Rin nodded. "He said I could stay with him. Thank you."
Reign rubbed her head softly. "No problem. He adores you like you're a kid of his own."
Rin blushed at that and turned away. Tohru giggled and Reign removed her hand from her head. When she did that the door opened to Rin's room. All of them turned to look and it was Hatori. Reign's smile went off her face and she felt her body stiffen. Why was he here? He never leaves the estate. Hatori looked at her and the instant they made eye contact Reign turned towards the girls and excused herself from the room. When she walked past him, he lightly let a finger caress her wrist and she shivered at the touch.
Reign went to the reception desk on the third floor and went to review some charts that she could look through, trying to wait out Hatori. Reign didn't want to see him so soon after what had happened last night nor did she want to be reminded of what happened last night. For them to really take a break something had to give. Reign sighed and rubbed her forehead. There was only one solution; Reign needed a few days away from the estate. She'd wait until Hikaru had her baby but she really needed to get away.
After a bit, Hatori left the room. Reign didn't look his way until she heard a door open and close and didn't hear any footsteps. Reign walked back into Rin's room and the moment she did, her and Tohru's eyes were glued to Reign.
"Why did you leave? You two are usually on good terms." Rin said, getting up from the bed.
Reign smiled shyly. "Even we argue from time to time. We don't argue often but when we do it's somewhat extreme. Nothing for you to worry about."
Rin tilted her head, gazing at Reign. "How can I not be worried? You left the room in such a hurry. You're the fox, aren't you supposed to be braver than most?"
When Rin finally let it slip that Reign was the fox spirit, Tohru gasped loudly and Reign covered her face with her palm.
"That's who you are! The fox, of course!" Tohru exclaimed.
Reign sighed. "Yes yes, I'm the fox. Nothing too interesting except that I came up with the idea of a banquet and told the God."
Tohru fidgeted with her hair for a moment before asking, "Could I possibly see you in fox form? Could you transform right now or later?"
"I only transform when hugging my father since, of course, he isn't a zodiac."
Rin sat down in the chair across from her bed. "I'll go with her to your parents house so she can see you in fox form."
Reign stared at Rin. "You aren't supposed to leave-"
"They told me I can go sooner than you said. The nurses said you were being too cautious."
Reign sighed deeply and looked back and forth between a hopeful Tohru and an 'I don't care' Rin. "Sure, why not? I don't transform often anyway."
"Great!" Tohru exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "You're the last spirit for me to see in animal form."
"Just don't try to rub my belly as if I'm a dog. I find that extremely insulting on so many levels. I will let out a scream that will bring other foxes." Reign taunted.