Chapter Text
The moment that he saw her, a familiar feeling bloomed in his chest—one he hadn’t felt for some time.
Her hair reminded him of flowers blooming, and when she passed by, he could swear he smelled them, too. She didn’t even glance his way, presumably because she was too focused on trying to memorize the layout of the Sohma Estate.
He definitely watched her, though. Probably more than he should have.
“Who’s the new woman?” Hatori finally asked during an examination. “The American.”
“They found a personal English tutor for me,” Akito explained. “I like her. She minds her own business. She’ll keep it that way if she knows what’s good for her.”
He still wished that he learned her name. Simply knowing that she was Akito’s tutor wasn’t enough, but in the same vein, he needed to stop himself.
The past would not be repeated. He couldn’t go through a major loss once again. And next time, Akito surely wouldn’t be so gentle. He at least retained some of his eyesight last time.
Instead, Hatori would continue to watch from a distance. It would be another month before they finally spoke, and he was able to hear her voice.
“Good morning,” she said sweetly, walking past him. “It’s already starting to get cold!”
And then she turned around.
Her smile was gentle, like a breath of fresh air. Despite having never met, her eyes shined with a kindness that he’d rarely seen before.
“I-It is,” he managed to stammer out in a rare moment of lost composure.
When she faced the opposite way again, he placed a hand over his chest in a weak attempt to calm his racing heart.
I’m not going through this again. It’ll only bring us both pain.
As best as he tried, fate remained persistent. Before long, she was in his office looking as though she may faint, while Momiji dragged her along by the wrist.
“I know she’s not family, but can you help her?” He asked, giving Hatori his trademark puppy eyes. “Please, Harii?”
He narrowed his eyes, throwing on his usual cold demeanor. “I only treat the family. You know that, Momiji.”
“But—!”
He stared up at her in concern, and despite clearly being out of it, she gave that same, sweet smile and waved him off.
“Oh, don’t worry about me! I think I just overdid it a little,” she said with a chuckle.
Hatori exhaled through his nose. He couldn’t outright ignore her, even with his conflicting feelings. She looked wobbly, like she may pass out at any moment.
“…come in and tell me what’s wrong,” he relented with a sigh.
“I-It’s really not a big deal! It happens all the time!” she exclaimed in a panicked tone.
His expression bore one of exasperation, while Momiji’s only showed concern.
“Just come along,” he reiterated. “I’d rather not hear Momiji cry about it later.”
He paused. This was the perfect chance to finally learn her name; he could pretend that it was entirely for professional reasons.
“Sorry, what is your name? I don’t think we’ve ever formally met.”
Despite her clear exhaustion and dizziness, she gave him a bright smile as she responded. “Ophelia Blackwell.”
Ophelia…
“Good to know. I’m Sohma Hatori, the family’s doctor.”
She couldn’t deny that he was attractive, but Ophelia had long resigned herself to being alone. She had wonderful friends and her dream job; that was all she needed, right? It kept her from being hurt for the umpteenth time.
“It’s nice to meet you, Doctor Sohma.”
He smiled to himself and turned to face her. “Same to you. Now, what happened?”
“It’s really nothing! I swear!” she reiterated. “I just stumbled some, that’s all.”
Momiji leaned over from behind. “But Miss Blackwell, you almost fainted.”
Hatori raised an eyebrow at that. “Fainted?”
“I just…” She rubbed her arm awkwardly. “I have some existing medical issues, and didn’t really get any sleep last night. I have something of a side job, and I wasn’t paying attention to the time…”
That was interesting. He turned to Momiji. “Head outside for a moment, will you? I need to speak to her in private.”
He gave them both a reluctant look, but decided to obey and made his way out of the door. Once it clicked behind him, Hatori returned his attention to Ophelia.
“How much sleep did you get before coming here?”
She thought for a moment, yawning in the process. “An hour? I think?”
“Only
an hour? What in the world do you do on the side?”
Another yawn. “Translation.”
Hatori seemed annoyed in a way, but it was more out of concern than frustration. “You need to let yourself rest. Especially working with Akito; he can be quite the handful.”
“I wish I could,” she sighed. “The translation thing is… a lot. But it’s essentially a one-man business.”
He pursed his lips at her words and took another glance at his schedule. He only had to see Akito in a few hours; the time in between would be filled with paperwork.
“You can rest here if you wish,” he mumbled. “I’ll just be catching up on paperwork. It would be safer if you had more rest before trying to navigate the train system.”
Ophelia sighed with relief, but her grip on the edge of the bed showed otherwise. “Are you sure I wouldn’t be intruding? You said that you only treat family, so…”
“It’s extremely rare for outsiders to be allowed in. Akito must have seen something special in you. Therefore, I don’t mind assisting you within my limitations.”
She smiled at him once again and seemed to relax a bit. “Okay. Thank you, Doctor Sohma.”
“You’re welcome. Get settled, and I’ll wake you once I need to head out.”
She still felt more awkward than anything–trying to get settled in her work dress without her skirt lifting up proved difficult, but once she got comfortable, her body felt like a brick of lead. She’d been running herself ragged so much that she didn’t realize how truly tired she was.
But alas, old games wouldn’t translate themselves, and she had both a deadline and Akito to manage.
Something about his office made Ophelia feel much safer, like she could truly relax. Her eyelids began to feel as heavy as her body, and within a few minutes, she was completely out.
“Ms. Blackwell, it’s time to wake up.”
Hatori’s deep voice roused her from her sleep and she rolled over, accidentally smacking her glasses in an attempt to rub her eyes.
Shit, I forgot to take those off. And he saw that! Great!
“Do you feel any better?” he continued without missing a beat.
In truth, she was still groggy and fairly dizzy. Even as she did something as simple as cleaning off her glasses, she felt as though the ground was moving at a slow pace. She began to wonder if the few extra hours had any effect, but her body at least felt somewhat lighter now.
“I… think so…?”
“Do you need help standing?” he asked in a gentle tone.
“Um, I think… I think I can manage to get home.”
With that, Ophelia stood on her feet and wobbled a little. Once she regained her balance, it seemed as though her vertigo began to fade away.
“Are you sure?” he asked with a look of concern.
“Yeah! I, um…” She awkwardly bowed, unsure of what else to do. “Thank you very much.”
Hatori let out an amused chuckle. “There’s no need to be so formal.”
“Ah! Sorry, I… I’m still getting used to the customs,” she confessed, making her way to the door to slide her shoes back on. “Thank you again, Doctor Sohma!”
He awkwardly waved. “Sure thing. Try to get some actual rest tonight.”
Once she was out the door, he breathed a sigh of relief. His heart had been pounding at the close vicinity between them, and even with her gone, it didn’t seem to lessen.
Ophelia Blackwell, huh…
He caught himself and shook the thoughts out of his head. He couldn’t act on his budding feelings; instead, he would push them down as far as they could go, and keep her as an acquaintance.
It was for the best–for everyone involved.
“If Hatori goes blind in that eye, it’ll be your fault!! It’s your fault! All of it! Your fault!”
He let out a tired sigh and turned his gaze towards the ceiling.
This existence truly is a curse.
A few days later, Hatori’s work day had barely begun when he heard a knock at the clinic door. He sauntered over, and once he opened it, he was greeted by Ophelia and her vibrant hair once again.
“Miss Blackwell,” he greeted, confusion making his voice waver. “Did you need something?”
“Uh, well…” She idly twirled her hair and averted her gaze as she spoke. “I just… really wanted to say thank you for the other day. I don’t know if you like sweets, but…”
She shoved a small bag in his direction, continuing to keep her gaze locked on something in the distance instead.
“I tried to make you homemade sweets, but I burned them, so I bought you a whole bag of brownies on the way here,” she confessed. “I hope they’re okay!”
She did this for me…? Hatori took the bag from her hands, cradling it with care. “I’m sure they’ll be perfect. Thank you very much.” It was an unusual approach to say the least, but his immediate assumption was that there was a cultural difference in play.
Ophelia seemed pleasantly surprised by his response and bounced a little. “Well, I’d better head to Mister Akito. He gets a little antsy when I’m late.” She gave him an awkward wave. “See you, Doctor Sohma.”
His heart clenched as he watched her leave. Another person entered his life that made his heart feel like the first day of spring, and yet…
He could do nothing but watch from afar.