Disclaimer: You think I own any of this? (dies laughing)

Note, 1: This is one of my first attempts at writing the Fruits Basket characters. Please forgive me if anyone seems too out of character. Advice is always appreciated; just don't be mean or uppity about it.

Note, 2: I don't like curse words. Nor am I certain that my parents would allow me to type them. Therefore, all swearwords will be written as follows: -CENSORED-. The strongest words I'll ever type out in this fic are: dang, shoot, and crud.

Verisimilitude

Seven: The New Babysitter, Contd.

Kyoko chuckled to herself as she watched the strange young man rush off. Now. To meet the boys. She opened one door, but it turned out to be the bathroom.

Well, it's good to know where it is…

She closed that door and opened another. A little blond boy—girl? No… Sohma-san had only mentioned boys.

Anyway, a little blond boy tumbled forward, bumping into her feet. He stood up quickly, giggling, and looked up into her face.

"Hiya!" he beamed happily. "I'm Momiji! Are you gonna 'sit us?"

"Yes, I am," Kyoko smiled back. "I'm Kyoko Honda."

"Honda-chan!" Momiji exclaimed, leaping up to hug her. Something held him back, however.

"Don't do that, idiot!" an orange-haired boy yelled, pulling him back into the bedroom.

"You must be Kyo," decided Kyoko.

"What's it to you?!"

"I'm your new babysitter," she stated.

"I don't need a babysitter!"

"Why don't you all come out here in the living room, anyway, and we can get to know one another," Kyoko suggested, planning to start them studying after they were acquainted.

And so all four, some timidly, some boldly, followed her into the main living/dining room.

"Let me guess—you're Haru and you're Yuki?"

Haru and Yuki nodded silently.

"I'm Kyoko Honda."

Kyo, as a precaution, latched onto Momiji's arm to keep him from lunging into the woman's arms.

"Are you all related?"

"No duh," Kyo rolled his eyes. "We're cousins. Where's Masuko-san?"

"I'm afraid he won't be coming anymore," Kyoko said gently.

"Lemme guess—he kicked it."

Kyoko blinked at the little boy's careless 'guess'.

"Kicked what?" Momiji wondered innocently.

"The bucket."

"Oh… did it make a mess?"

"Maybe." He turned to Kyoko. "Was there lots of blood?"

"Well?"

"What bucket?" Momiji insisted.

Kyo hollered at him, "There wasn't any bucket, dum-dum! He's bought the farm! Popped off! Bit the big one! Gone to the big babysitting agency in the sky! Met his maker! Give-d up the ghost!"

Kyoko, who'd tried to interrupt several times, broke in with, "Given, not 'give-d'."

Oh, wait—it was Momiji's grammar that I was supposed to correct…

"Whatever," Kyo grumped dismissively.

"Well," Kyoko announced brightly, "I think we've gotten to know one another enough for now. We'd better start studying."

"What'd ya mean 'what bucket'?" Kyo hissed as they moved to the dining table. "Don't be stupid." He punched Momiji in the arm.

"WAAAH!" Momiji immediately screamed. "Honda-chan! Kyo's picking on me!"

"Shh, it's alright, Momiji," Kyoko hushed, squatting, holding his left hand and rubbing his right arm. She barely remembered not to hug him. "Let's just study, 'kay?"

"You aren't supposed to say that," Haru informed her. "Hatori says."

"What am I not supposed to say?" Kyoko asked.

"'Kay. It's bad grammar."

"Strict fellow," Kyoko murmured to herself.

"What's 'strict'?" Momiji wanted to know.

"What'd ya mean 'we'?" interjected Kyo, something suddenly registering in his mind. "You aren't gonna study—only us! What, are you a path… patho… pathel…." Kyo struggled to remember that word Hatori sometimes muttered when referring to Ayame or Shigure.

"Pathological?" Yuki guessed meekly.

"Pathological liar?" Kyo finished. He turned back to Yuki. "How'd ya know that?"

"Um… Hatori says I've got a pathological fear of A—A… him."

"Him who?" Haru asked.

"Him who Hatori rescued Yuki from, that's who him who is," Momiji answered, smiling matter-of-factly.

Kyoko, feeling a bit dizzy after Momiji's garbled explanation, said, "Why don't you all get started on your schoolwork?"

"Who—I mean why?" Kyo quickly corrected himself.

"Because that's what Hatori said that you were supposed to do now," Kyoko stated. "Now, no more nonsense—let's get started."

As Kyoko set a worksheet in front of each of the little boys, now seated at the table, Kyo accused suspiciously, "I bet you don't even know what you're doing—I bet you never even seen a kid before!"

"As a matter of fact," Kyoko returned, "I have a daughter, about your age."

"Girls are gross," snorted the orange-haired child.

"Cooties?" she smiled.

"No—'cause of what they do!"

"Oh?"

Momiji burst out, "They—"

Kyo slapped a hand over Momiji's mouth and yelled at Kyoko, "We ain't tellin'!"

Maybe it was a bad idea to put Kyo and Momiji next to each other…

"Both of you behave yourselves," scolded Kyoko lightly, giving them each a pencil. "And I can't believe Sohma-san has you doing this advanced work, already!"

Kyo boasted, "I know the zero and one times tables all the way up to twelve—but I really don't care what you think!"

"You've started multiplication?" Kyoko said. "How old are you?"

"I'm six. Problem?"

"No… but… six…"

Geez…