IT BLOSSOMS, hatori sohma [Fruits Basket]

Chapter Fifty Nine

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The early morning light streamed through the window, casting a soft glow into the room. Ryu's eyes flickered open, revealing a sense of weariness that clung to her body. Her senses were tinged with a touch of detachment, and her hand trembled slightly as she began to fully awaken.

A soft voice broke through the silence, and Ryu's gaze focused on the familiar figure before her. "Glad to see you're finally awake," Hatori's voice echoed gently, a hint of relief in his tone.

Hatori stood near her bedside, his eyes filled with a mix of concern and affection. He had been sitting there for quite some time, waiting patiently for her to wake up.

Ryu's voice came out as a hesitant whisper, her eyes slowly adjusting to the surroundings. "Hatori?" she breathed, the name escaping from her lips in a soft, almost disbelieving tone.

Hatori nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He approached her bedside, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Concern was etched on his face as he studied her closely.

"Yeah, it's me," he responded gently. "You had us all worried for a bit. How do you feel?"

As Hatori listened to Ryu's words, his eyes fixated on her with a mixture of worry and intrigue. Her voice was monotonous, a testament to the turmoil she must have been feeling. She began to describe the feeling of her body being possessed, her tone betraying a sense of disbelief and hurt.

She started with sarcasm lacing her words,  " As if my body were possessed by a spirit I thought I could trust..." Pausing to let out a weary sigh before fully turning her face towards him.

"Sounds like quite the story," Hatori responded, his voice tinged with genuine concern. "Why don't you tell me more?"

Ryu continued her explanation, filling Hatori in on the details of Dragon's possession and its recurrence. She confided that she wasn't certain when it began, only that it had been happening annually ever since Kazuma had taken her in.

"She mentioned manipulating my memories of summer, but it's more convoluted than that," she revealed, a flicker of pain in her eyes. "Instead, I find myself transported into a completely fabricated world, living out days as if they were real. I'm still unclear why the circumstances differed this time, but I'm thankful something shifted."

Hatori's expression remained stoic and focused as he listened intently to Ryu's story about the possession by Dragon and the altered worlds she experienced each year. He took in every word, understanding the gravity of the situation.

"I see..." he finally spoke, his tone guarded, masking his growing concern. "And these 'false worlds' you've been living in, they're fully convincing?"

Ryu nodded, a somber expression crossing her face. "Completely convincing. I live each day, thinking it's reality. It all feels so real—the sights, the sounds, the emotions. I have no awareness that it's all an illusion until something snapped me out of it."

Hatori continued to listen intently, silently processing Ryu's emotions and concerns. He understood that what she needed most right now was a listening ear, a space where she could openly express herself without pressure.

Despite the anger simmering within Ryu, Hatori could sense that deep down, there was a part of her that didn't truly detest Dragon.

Hatori wasn't entirely sure what the primary source of Ryu's anger was, but for the moment, he respected her space, patiently waiting to see if she would feel comfortable enough to reveal the root of her intense emotion.

Now, having cut off contact with Dragon, Ryu found herself facing uncertain waters if Akito summoned her once more.

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