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

Two: The Rescue

"How come this is creepier than all our other 'missions' combined?" Shigure whispered.

"This is the Main House," Hatori reminded him.

"…Never mind."

"Where is my darling brother?" Ayame asked, for once speaking quietly.

"And where the heck are we gonna keep him?" Shigure hissed. "We're outta beds!"

"Shh," Hatori ordered. "And he can sleep with Aya."

"Me? Why me?"

"A, he's your brother. B, why not? I thought you were so gung-ho about rescuing him."

"Yeah, but—and that reminds me," Ayame changed the subject. "Why does he need rescuing?"

Hatori and Shigure stared at him.

"What?"

"You mean…" Shigure began. "You don't know?"

"Know? Know what? Isn't it just like Hatsuharu? He got lost somehow?"

Hatori shook his head. "You two seriously need to get to know each other."

"Brotherly bonding, if you will," Shigure put in for good measure.

"I'm sure the little one will be thrilled to bits to do so," Ayame stated confidently. "What with being so honored as to be my brother—"

"Can we just grab the kid and go already?" Shigure asked. "This place always creeps me out, 'specially at night."

"Technically, it's morning," Hatori pointed out.

"Yeah, whatever. Still creepy."

"I have an idea—let's just all shut up."

Shigure let out a long-suffering sigh. "I have an idea" had been the four words that Hatori had announced for the first time almost a year ago. Since then, they had taken in Kyo, a young wanderer of the streets; Haru, a lost little kid with the weirdest personality; and Momiji, an overenthusiastic energy ball.

Ever since Hatori had been given permission to move into his own apartment across from his parents', the serious young student had been seeking out and taking in young, helpless members of the Jyuunishi. The apartment was small, however, and caring for the youngsters was no easy task.

Thinking back to last morning, Shigure could easily recall ten near-disasters, all of which had happened in a three-minute time span. How Hatori had managed to recruit Ayame and Shigure into the Ultimate Babysitting Challenge, he would never know.

Hatori, briefly putting a finger to his lips, then pointed to a door and whispered, "Yuki." He slowly slid the door open and crept inside, closely followed by Shigure and Ayame.

Ayame had to ram a fist into his own mouth to stifle a horrified cry at the sight of his brother.

The excessively thin six-year-old, dressed in a faded and torn gray yukata, was curled up into a little ball in the corner. A few long, thin tears on the yukata's back revealed red whip wounds, and a mass of hair at the back of his head was soaked with blood.

Instantly blaming himself for never coming to check on the boy, Ayame whirled around and all but flew out of the room. Shigure caught his arm, demanding where he thought he was going.

"I-I can't let him see me," Ayame blurted out. "Not after what pain I've caused him! I-I have to go!" Ayame broke free of Shigure's grasp and ran off.

Hatori scornfully watched Ayame's retreating back for a moment before turning back to Yuki. He knelt down in front of him, realizing that the kid was awake.

"Yuki," Hatori whispered. "Yuki, do you remember me?"

Yuki's frail hands shot up, clasping them protectively against his head. He whimpered a bit as Hatori gently touched his shoulder.

"Yuki, it's me, Hatori. It's alright," Hatori continued. "We're taking you out of here."

"W-w-we?" stuttered Yuki, not looking up.

"I'm here, too," Shigure explained.

"Yuki, this is Cousin Shigure. He's here to help you, too." Hatori carefully picked up Yuki, holding him lightly against his chest. "Take it easy—we're going home."

"H-home?" the little boy repeated, risking a peek at Hatori's face. He balled up his fists, clinging to the teenager's shirt.

"Your new home," Shigure said. "A little noisy, but much nicer than this. C'mon, Ha'ri, let's blow this Popsicle stand."

Rolling his eyes slightly, Hatori suggested sarcastically, "Maybe you should be a screenwriter instead of a novelist."

"I'm keeping my options open," Shigure informed him, giving a cocky grin.

"Yeah, right."

"Well, I am."

"Shut up."