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

Fifteen: Hatori Sohma, Scared

Hatori, looking totally fatigued, stumbled back into the apartment at nine in the morning.

He entered alone.

"You didn't find them, I see?" Shigure asked, looking up from his breakfast. He, Haru, Momiji, and Tohru were all quietly seated at the dining table.

Hatori shook his head wearily, dropping his bag on the couch and then plopping down next to it. He raised both hands, using them to cover his tired face.

"I, ah, hope you don't mind that I'm letting Tohru-kun stay home today." He glanced at the girl sitting across from him at the table. "I didn't think it would be a good idea to make her go to school so soon…"

"I-I'm fine, Shigure-san," Tohru said. Remembering that Hatori had told her that Kyoko wished for Tohru to not be too sad, she smiled. Not her usual bright smile, but a kind grin nonetheless. "I don't want to be any trouble for you."

"Shigure," Hatori breathed, "why aren't you at school?"

"Well, it would be downright stupid and perverted of me to leave the kids alone, and since you asked me not to do anything stupid or perverted…" Shigure explained.

"Right… right…"

Shigure looked worriedly at his fellow college student. The dragon was seriously distraught, that was obvious. Well, by other people's standards, Hatori would be deemed very calm, all things considered. But by Hatori-standards… this was distraught.

"Ha'ri, go to sleep," urged Shigure.

"No… not until those two are back home." He suddenly stood up. "Idiot!"

"Hey!"

"Not you, me! No, you! Both of us!"

"Geez, Ha'ri, you really do need to rest. What's your problem?"

"Why haven't we called their cell phone already?" Hatori grabbed the phone and quickly dialed the number.

-

A squirrel, exploring an abandoned backpack outside of the elementary school, leapt about ten feet into the air as the bag began ringing.

-

"Nothing," murmured Hatori, hanging up the telephone.

"Maybe they just don't wanna talk to you," Shigure suggested. "You aren't exactly the greatest conversationalist in the world, y'know…"

Hatori stared at Shigure coldly, saying through gritted teeth, "Momiji… Haru… Tohru… would you mind finishing your food in the kitchen?"

"Is something wrong, Hatori-san?" Tohru asked as Haru and Momiji quickly gathered up their dishes and trotted into the kitchen without a word.

"No, Tohru-kun," Hatori replied, gaze still fixed on Shigure. "Just go with Haru and Momiji."

"A-alright." Tohru picked up her plate and cup and scurried off.

Shigure, still nibbling at his toast, asked, "Why'd ya ask them to leave, Ha'ri? Something wrong?"

"How can you?" Hatori hissed, disgustedly looking upon his cousin. "Honda-san is dead, Yuki and Kyo are lost somewhere, and you act like nothing's wrong."

"Just trying to keep the kids relaxed," Shigure answered lightly, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"That's not it. That's not 'trying to keep the kids relaxed'. You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Now you're just being unreasonable, Hatori," stated Shigure, glancing at his infuriated friend. "Get some rest. You'll be back to normal after a few hours' sleep."

Hatori, himself, knew that he was stressed out, exhausted, and acting extraordinarily stupid, but this had been building up for a long time…

…What? You didn't actually think that inside he was the same imperturbable young man he always acted like, did you? Of course Hatori kept every single one of his pet peeves bottled up.

"And now you expect me to be like you, huh?" Hatori all but spat. "Sleep while those two kids are somewhere out there. Akito could've found them, for all we know. I don't know how you can stand yourself, you -CENSORED- mutt."

Naturally, Shigure was beginning to get a bit riled up himself, what with Hatori attacking him so. Well, two could play that game. The writer feigned examining the few bits of toast left on his plate, arranging them randomly.

"You think I'm not worried?" Shigure murmured. "You think it's easy to be the bonehead providing comic relief when the whole world is falling to pieces?" He sharply broke a small piece of toast in half. "It's easy to do what you're doing, y'know."

"Oh? What am I doing?"

"You're panicking. Acting like a complete idiot." He smirked slightly, returning Hatori's stare evenly. "You're scared. The great Hatori Sohma is scared."

Hatori's fists automatically clenched at Shigure's comments, obviously meant to provoke him. It was working.

"Aw, is Ha'ri getting mad?" Shigure jibed. "Just admit that you need some rest and I'll shut up. How 'bout it, Ha'ri? You take a nap and we can pretend we never talked like this to each other." He smiled, somewhat sadly. "Please?"

'So much like a dog,' Hatori thought. 'Begging.'

Shigure frowned and stared at Hatori.

'Did I say that out loud?'

"You sure did," Shigure scowled.

Hatori tried to brush it off with, "I must've been thinking aloud…"

"Well, at least now I know what you really think of me. Go… take a nap or something. Or jump out the window." He grinned, adding cheerfully, "Either one; I honestly couldn't care less." Pause. "Think I'll join the kiddies in the other room." He stood up and carried his breakfast dishes into the kitchen.

Hatori cleared off the couch and then flopped down into the sofa, sighing. This was really going well, wasn't it?

Wait—what was he doing? He couldn't just lie around and sleep! Kyo and Yuki—those poor kids probably needed him.

Hatori shot up off the couch, made a pit-stop in the bathroom, grabbed his bag, and then zoomed out of the apartment.

Hang on, he thought (silently) to his younger cousins. I'm coming.