Hi.

This is my first Fruits Basket fic. In fact, this is my first anime fic ever.

I used to write under the Vampire Slayer section, but since they took it off…

*Growl*

Anyway, this fic is basically an Akiru, but it might have a little Kyou and Yuki romance in it, too.

Summary: Tohru goes missing one dark night and Akito, mostly out of boredom, helps search for her. After finding her, he realizes he has feelings for her that he never expected to have. And he will do anything in his power to win the angelic girl's heart…

I'm having fun writing it, and I hope you like it!!

Thanks to Cybeleflame for beta reading!! (Sorry I didn't use your title suggestion ^_^;)

Dark Demigoddess

Disclaimer: Do you honestly believe I would waste my time on the internet if I owned Hatsuharu…

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(a line signifies a change in POV)

Chapter 1: Searching

The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

Hatori tried to ignore it, shoving his head under a pillow.

Ring…ring…ring…ring.

Finally, he flipped over to look at the digital clock glowing serenely through the darkness from his nightstand. The bold red numbers glared at him, almost defiantly. 1:35. Who could possibly be calling him at 1:35 in the morning? The ringing teasingly ceased as soon as he sat up, and he groggily moved to turn off the phone, or pull the cord out of the wall. Anything to stop the infernal sound that kept him from what little sleep he was able to get. The doctor's finger was above the switch when the ringing commenced again. He answered it robotically.

"What." His voice was still raspy with sleep.

"Ha-san! We need your help." Hatori woke instantly when he heard the distress in his dear friend's voice.

"Shigure, what is it?" It was unsettling to hear the usually playful dog sound so anxious.

"She's missing, Ha-san. We can't find her. Tohru…she was supposed to be home about two hours ago, but she never showed up…it's like she's disappeared!"

"Did you call her work?" His voice was calm and deep now, concerned. He held the phone against his ear with his shoulder as he pulled his pants on. "Maybe she did some overtime."

"Yuki, he did that, they said she left at 11:00, like she was supposed to! He also called her friend, Uotani. She hasn't seen her since school let out. And the denpa is out of town, so we know she isn't at her house." Shigure said all this without taking a breath, and seemed exhausted and scared when he spoke again. "Ha-san, what if she's hurt somewhere and we can't help her…you know how clumsy she can be."

Hatori shrugged his shirt on and unceremoniously shoved his feet into his socks. "And trusting. I hope she didn't go off with some stranger."

"And she's weak." Shigure added, even more anxious now. "She couldn't defend herself if something were to happen…that's why Kyou or Yuki is always with her."

"Why weren't they with her tonight? Why didn't they walk her home?" He asked tentatively, groping shakily for the lamp as he hurriedly searched for his keys.

"They were both busy with school or something. She said it'd be fine, she wasn't leaving as late as she usually did, and she walks by herself all the time. Don't blame them for what happened, Ha-san!" Anger suddenly trickled into his frightened voice.

"I'm not, Shigure, calm down. We're not even sure anything has happened. Are they out searching for her now?"

Keys. His keys. He suddenly felt that they were deliberately hiding from his worried and sleep addled brain. If he wanted to have any hope of locating the troublesome things, he needed more light than the weak illumination of the bed lamp or the powdery streaks of silver moonlight that fell into the room through the window.

He flipped on the light as Shigure answered. "Yes, they've been out, along with Uotani, since 11:45. I was sleeping and didn't realize anything was wrong until they woke me up an hour and a half ago, but I'm staying here in case she shows up. It would go faster if we had someone searching in a car, Ha-san."

"I'll drive around until we've found her. Call me when she's safe. You know my car phone's number, right?"

"Of course. Call us if you find her, too. I'll be here." Shigure sounded pained. It must have hurt him to stay inside while she was missing, leaving the others to look for her while he sat at home with nothing to do but wait.

"I'm sure she's fine, Shigure." He said, trying to be reassuring.

"Thank you for your help, Ha-san."

"I care about Tohru as much as you and the boys do. I'll do what it takes to see her safe. Good luck."

"Good luck." Shigure hung up with a click, his frantic voice silenced.

The doctor had yet to find his keys, and felt like punching the wall in frustration. For all he knew, Tohru was laying in a ditch somewhere, hurt and needing immediate medical attention. He had to find her soon. Every second he wasted was crucial.

"Oh! Of course." Hatori sighed at his own ignorance. "That's where they are." He ran down the hall, skidding to a rather uncharacteristic halt as he reached the front door. His keys were resting in a small ceramic bowl with a seahorse painted on the bottom, on the small shelf next to the frame. The bowl had been a Christmas present from Tohru months ago, and it had come in very handy. She had gotten them all presents last year, despite the fact that they had told her not to. She had even given Akito a gift, though Hatori doubted that the leader had even unwrapped it yet.

"God, I hope she's alright." He worried out loud as he fished the bowl's contents out with a jingle.

He grabbed his coat and dashed out of the house with the irksome keys in his hand, not bothering to turn off the lights. The grounds of the Honke had a haunted look to them in the middle of the night, with everything deserted and desolate. Like a ghost town whose inhabitants had long given up hope of saving it, and left. Only the spirits that couldn't be free of this place remained. No matter how far they tried to run, how hard they tried to escape, they felt the pull of the Honke, of the Soumas. And eventually they all came back. Back to the village that tied down their souls, back to the master that held tight to their metaphorical chains.

But an angel had graced these Juunishi ghosts with her divine presence, bringing them out of the lonely despair with which they had come so accustomed to living. She made existence much more bearable for all of them.

Hatori shook his head at his symbolic thoughts as he reached the towering gate. His hands were already pressing it open as quietly as possible when he heard a soft voice behind him. A chilling voice that he knew all to well.

"I wonder…" Akito said in a deceptively gentle tone. "I wonder, where Hatori could be going at this time of night?"

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He watched the doctor freeze upon hearing his voice. It reminded him how much he enjoyed that feeling, that knowledge. The knowledge that he could instill fear in any of the Souma with a whisper, the knowledge that though he barely hung onto life in his frail, weak body, he had all the power.

Hatori turned around, but to Akito's surprise, he only seemed startled. Instead of appearing frightened, he wore a look of gentle agitation, as if he was being stalled from something important. It was irritating.

"Oh, were you in a hurry?" The leader began to stroll forward, he felt his mouth twitch into an angry smirk. "You seemed to be, by the way you were rushing to the gate without even turning of the lights. You don't pay the electrical bill, Hatori. You could at least conserve a little energy." He reached the man and stopped about a foot away from him, and as he watched apprehension arose in the older man's eyes. The perpetually calm doctor spent more time with him that his other family members, and as a result, he wasn't as scared of his master as the other Juunishi.

But, Akito thought as he drew closer and the uneasiness on the doctor's face grew, he can still be intimidated.

His smirk widened. "So, were you running of to do some business that you didn't want me to know about?" He reached out and grasped Hatori's shirt, his claw-like fingers reminding him of his ever-present illness. He traced the pale extremities up the dragon's neck, cradling his cheek. "To meet someone? A lover, perhaps? Hm?" His other hand materialized from the engulfing sleeves of his kimono, curving around to latch onto the back of the taller man's neck. Suddenly he felt a strong hand on his chest, pushing him away, gently.

"Akito-san!" Hatori gasped as his hand came into contact with the leader's skin. "Your pulse." He grasped the thin wrist in his hand. "Your heart is beating much too fast…you shouldn't be wandering around outside like this, especially this late at night. You should go rest--" Akito yanked his arm viciously from the powerful grip and stepped back as his doctor tried to press his palm to his forehead.

"You can't tell me what I should and shouldn't do!" he rasped, clutching the dark fabric of the kimono shut and glaring angrily. "I feel fine. I'm just a little exhausted. I had to run all the way here from my room in order to find out why you were leaving, after all." He straightened his clothing and regained his composure, eyeing Hatori distrustfully. "Now, tell me. Where are you going?"

Stepping back and staring calmly at Akito, he spoke. "Tohru Honda is missing. She was supposed to be home two hours ago, and no one knows where she is. I'm going to help search for her."

The leader's eyes narrowed. It was always about that girl, wasn't it? "That woman. She's never anything but trouble. Tohru Honda." He spat the name as if it were something vile. "Yet you care enough about her to leave your home at 1:40 in the morning because she's a couple hours late getting home from work." Hatori responded to this comment with a solemn nod, and Akito felt his anger rise again. "I could keep you from going, you know." He growled, a mirthless smile curving his pink lips. "I could hold you here, and never let you see her again. Or, I could let you find her, and then take her away from all of you." He chuckled softly, watching the worry flit across Hatori's face.

"Okay…I'll let you search for her. But…" he made a fake-distressed face. "how can I be expected to sleep when such a dear family friend has disappeared? I must help, as much as I can." He laughed out loud at this, a predator baring his teeth. "You can go, and I'm going with you."

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Hatori's eyes roamed back and forth over the sides of the road, making sure he didn't drive past anything that could give him a clue as to where Tohru might be. He had the headlights of the car turned up as bright as they could go, and though most of the light hit the dirt road directly in front of the vehicle, whatever illumination reached the trees and patches of tall grass that framed the curving path was better than nothing.

"Are you sure this is the route she takes to get to Shigure's house?" Akito's bored voice drawled from the back. Hatori had noticed him gazing leisurely out the window ever since they left, as if they were on a casual drive through the park.

"Yes." He responded monotonously, eyes still roving through the sinister foliage around him.

"Hm. She must be as stupid as I thought she was." The doctor watched him eye a pile of beer cans that was clumped in the grass. "Walking around in this secluded area so late at night. Maybe she was kidnapped." He sounded delighted at this idea. "Serves her right."

Hatori's knuckles turned white as he clutched the steering wheel angrily, but he said nothing.

Akito did not notice the driver's reaction to his comment, and continued to stare blankly out the window. "Do you think they've found her yet?" His voice was maliciously light, as if he were trying to initiate conversation over the weather.

"No." He chose not to elaborate as he turned as much of his attention as he could to the dark surroundings.

After a few moments of waiting Akito turned annoyed eyes to the front seat. "How do you know?"

"Because Shigure would have called me." He looked in the rear view mirror, watching the younger man's face. His answer seemed to be satisfactory, because the pale countenance was turned towards the window once more, his thin finger tracing up and down the blackened glass.

The car was silent except for the sound of the tires crunching over loose stones and scattered twigs. Hatori was so immersed in his now undisturbed hunt that he didn't notice that his passenger was attempting to get his attention until his name was spoken loudly in his ear.

"Hatori…Hatori, stop." He felt a tickling breath against his ear as a snow white hand wrapped itself around his shoulder. He complied quickly and turned around in his seat.

Akito's tone was indifferent as he pointed behind him. "Back up."

"What?" He leant in closer, hope blooming inside him. "Did you see something?"

The kimono clad boy nodded in response, then reclined into the leather seats again, but staring out his window much more attentively. "Just back up." The soft voice floated to him. "I'll tell you when to stop."

He put the car into reverse, slowly easing it back down the cluttered road, anxiously glancing into the backseat every few seconds.

"Here." The dull voice from behind him spoke.

Hatori stopped the car with a jerk, throwing his door open. He scanned the area frantically, back and forth, but didn't notice anything. He unlocked Akito's door, asking, "What? What exactly did you see?" The younger man shot him a very irritated look as he lifted himself out with a fragile grace, and walked straight forward about five feet, stopping when he reached a small tree. "This is what caught my eye."

The doctor watched in wonder as Akito unwound something from a branch of the tree, stretching his arms as far as he could so that he wouldn't tangle the long object with the thin twigs that scratched at him. Finally, he turned to the helpless feeling man who was observing him and held his hand out.

There, resting on his pallid palm like a bright forest creature, was a yellow ribbon. "This is hers, is it not?" His voice still sounded lifeless, but a small mischievous grin lit his lips when the ribbon was snatched from him.

"Yes." The dragon stared at it as he spoke. "Yuki gave two of these to her. She always has them on." He turned wide eyes to the leader, amazed. "How on earth did you see this?"

"Oh, are you proud of me?" The teenager laughed bitterly, tilting his head back. "It seems that no matter how sick I get, my eyes will always be sharper than the average invalid's." He stepped forward, his laughter leaving his mouth curved gently. "You'll be even more proud of me, after you see this."

He motioned to the other man with his hand, and walked farther into the small forest. Hatori followed him, pulling a small flashlight from his pocket as the wooded area grew denser, the pressing darkness almost thick enough to slice with a knife. Akito stopped suddenly. "Here." He pointed his slim finger towards the foot of a large tree. A bookbag sat there on some moss, nearly upside-down, as if it had been thrown harshly. The doctor recognized the keychains that were splayed upon the soft green carpet, and the slightly battered corners that were leaning comfortably on the old bark. He opened it and checked the papers inside to confirm his suspicions.

"This is hers, too."

"I thought as much." The quiet speaker strolled on, listlessly. Hatori followed him at a much more desperate pace, almost smacking into a darkly clothed back when his escort stopped. They'd reached a small, flowery clearing, not to far from the place they'd found the bookbag. A choked gasp escaped the older man as he saw what lay in the center of the grassy area.

There, with a celestial spotlight turning her entire body to sparkling silver, was an unmoving Tohru.

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Oooooooh, is Tohru okay?

What could have happened?

You'll just have to wait….

So, what'd you think?

I update faster when I get reviews…

But no flames, please. I didn't hold a gun to your head and make you read my fic…

Flames make me curl up into a fetal position and cry until a can cry no more.

I'm very sensitive.

Is the rating too low? Too high? Tell me what you think.

I love input and opinions, as long as you're nice about it.

Thanks for reading, please review.

Dark Demigoddess