FicWad

CrashTest



It's fun, it's fluffy, and it has a tiny helping of Shigure/Hatori. I hope you enjoy!

fruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasket*

Crash Test

Driving home from picking up some medicine, Hatori had the awful luck to hit a dog. He wasn't going very fast, but the dog just seemed to come out of nowhere and ran right in front of his fender. Stopping the car right away, Hatori rushed out to see what he could do for the animal. Being the Sohma family doctor he had of course taken some courses in veterinarian medicine. When he rounded the front of his car, Hatori froze, heart in his throat and eyes wide open. It was a very familiar large black dog laying prone at his feet.

"Sh- Shigure. . ." Leaping into action, Hatori quickly checked the dog for wounds, running his long fingers over the furry body. Everything seemed fine except for a large bump behind a flopped down black ear. That and the fact the dog was unconscious worried Hatori. Cradling his head gently, Hatori gently pried Shigure's eyes open to check for signs of serious head injury, but before he could get a good look, the black dog jerked awake and away from Hatori's worried hands. The doctor let the animal go and sighed in relief that Shigure was finally awake and well enough to move without hurting himself.

"You had me scared there for a moment, Shigure. Why in the world did you run out in front of my car, anyway?" the serious man asked, his worry quickly changing to annoyance. He could have been seriously hurt if the car had been going any faster or if Hatori hadn't stopped. Waiting for one of Shigure's patented sarcastic responses, or a whopper of a tale to get him out of trouble, Hatori was shocked when the only answer he got was a loud "woof!"

"Shigure?"

"Woof, woof!"

Hatori blinked slowly once, and then again as he stared at the large black dog. Why wasn't Shigure talking? The canine, after getting out of Hatori's lap, had turned to face the man and sat down, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. But that was all the dog had done. A few options crossed Hatori's mind on what was happening, but he had no time to go over them as a loud horn honked, jolting him out of his deliberation. After he had hit the dog, Hatori hadn't bothered moving to the side of the road, he'd just stopped right in the middle. It wasn't an often used road so he thought there'd be no problem. Obviously he thought wrong. As he stood up to get in his car, the dog stood up as well, following him. Hatori still wasn't sure what was going on with the dog, or even if it was Shigure, but it would be safer to take the animal back to his office, just in case. If the dog had decided to follow him, Hatori figured it was smart enough to jump in the car at his prompting. So with a happily sniffing dog in his passenger seat, Hatori got in the car himself and started it up, the frustrated driver behind him still honking. Huffing at the other driver's frustration, Hatori got going as fast as he could and drove back to the Sohma household. The dog, or possibly Shigure, was generally peaceful during the ride, though he did lean over and sniff Hatori, giving him a sloppy lick on the cheek before retreating to his side of the car.

"If that really is you, Shigure, you're going to get it when you transform," he growled at the dog, though the animal just stared at him with a happy, glazed look in his eyes. The ride back took approximately ten minutes, and in those minutes the dog had not transformed back into a smiling naked Shigure. Certainly it was just a normal dog he had hit. Just to be sure, he would call Shigure's house and ask if the novelist was there. The dog followed him as he stepped out of the car and walked to his office. Even if it was just a normal dog, Hatori could still make sure of it's health and have its companionship for a while. And the dog seemed to like him just fine. He slid open the door and took his shoes and jacket off, letting the dog come in before shutting the sliding door. Hatori quickly picked up his phone and dialed the other Sohma household. It rang three times before an out of breath Tohru answered.

"Moshi-moshi, Sohma residence."

"Ah, this is Hatori. Honda-san, is Shigure there?"

"Umm, no, he said he going to visit you when he left about an hour ago."

"I see," Hatori responded calmly, though inside his heart was beating at a slightly accelerated pace. He glanced over at the black dog who was investigating his office, sniffing things here and there. Could it be. . . "Well, thank you anyway, I'm sure he'll turn up here soon."

"Okay! Is there anything else you needed?" Her voice was very pleasant and normally it would bring a small smile to Hatori's face, but at the moment he was too worried about Shigure.

"No, that will be all. Goodbye, Honda-san."

"Goodbye, Hatori-san!"

Hanging up the phone gently, Hatori knelt down and whistled for the dog to come to him. Happily obliging, the canine bounded over and began licking Hatori's face. Mouth flattening and eyebrows furrowing he quickly used his hands to push the dog's head far enough away so it couldn't bathe his face in dog drool. His fingers accidentally brushed over the large bump the hound had acquired in the accident and it yelped. Hatori soothed the dog with calm strokes and a nice scratching behind the uninjured ear. Pacified, the dog sat still again and let Hatori examine him. All the doctor could find was the one bump, it was no different from when he had looked over the dog in the street. Shigure still hadn't shown up.

"Maybe he's already here," he said to himself. Though Tohru had said Shigure was going to visit Hatori, it wasn't as if the novelist wouldn't talk to the other Sohma's. Perhaps he had seen that Hatori wasn't in and went to see Akito, or Hatsuharu. Ayame was at work, but it was possible Shigure could have gone there too. Hatori picked up the phone again and dialed the family who watched the front gate and greeted most visitors.

"Moshi-moshi, Mae residence."

"This is Hatori. Has Shigure come here at all today?"

"No, we haven't seen him today. Would you like us to call you if he does come this way?"

"Hm, yes, I would appreciate that. Thank you for your help, Mae-san."

"It is no problem, Hatori-sensei."

Both parties hung up, and Hatori covered his face with one hand, sighing heavily into it. So Shigure had left to visit more than an hour ago and hadn't been seen since. It was very likely he could have been traveling down the road Hatori was driving, since that was the fastest was to the Sohma residence. And all of the zodiac members had the bad luck to be embraced by the opposite sex at all the wrong moments. There was a very good chance that the black dog in his office was actually. . . But wait, why hadn't he transformed back yet, and why wasn't he speaking instead of acting like a typical dog?

Was it possible that the head injury had something to do with it? Perhaps his mind had been jarred enough for Shigure to believe he was a dog. It was also probable that the injury could muddle with the transformation process.

"What have I done?" he moaned out, eyes wide and fearful, right hand clutching his hair, left hand clenched in a fist. The logical side of his mind, which still had some control, answered him. He had hit Shigure with a car and hurt him to the point that he had become his zodiac animal in mind and body. The most important question right now, was if this new transformation was permanent. The rest of Hatori's brain, however, was still stuck on the fact that he had run his best friend over with his car. Why did he always hurt those he loved best?

As if sensing his melancholy mood, Shigure whined softly and nudged Hatori's fisted hand with a cold wet nose. The doctor immediately relaxed the hand and let Shigure rub his head against it in a desire to be pet. This seemed to snap the tension in Hatori and he fell down to his knees like a puppet without strings, burying his face in Shigure's fur and hugging the former human.

"I am so sorry Shigure. I'll fix this, I swear. I'll get you back," he whispered, starting to regain his composure and banishing the sudden bout of extreme emotion that had taken over. If this was going to be fixed, it would be fixed in a logical, rational way. Getting frustrated or mournful would not help Shigure. Hatori took a deep breath and stood up, walking over to his computer to see if he could find anything useful. He gave a hopeful half smile to Shigure, who had decided to resume his investigation of the office. "Everything is going to work out. I promise, Shigure."

"You named a dog after me? I'm flattered! But why just have a dog when you could have the real thing right here!"

Sure enough, standing in the doorway to his office was the real Shigure, posing in a sexy manner to match the suggestiveness of his voice and holding a large paper bag in his hand. The smell of bento boxes filled the room and roused dog-Shigure's interest. When Hatori failed to respond past staring at him with wide grey-green eyes, Shigure just shrugged and shucked off his shoes, strolling leisurely past Hatori to take the other available seat. The kimono-wearing man brought out two bento lunches from the bag and set them on the desk in front of him.

"I brought us lunch. Aren't you thankful, Ha-san?" Still getting no response, human-Shigure raised an eyebrow. "Are you feeling all right, Ha-san?"

Giving a quick back and forth glance at human-Shigure and dog-Shigure, Hatori thought it over. If Shigure had stopped to get lunch, that could have eaten up enough time for the man to be late. The phone next to Hatori rang and he absentmindedly picked it up.

"Yes?"

"Hatori-sensei, Shigure just came in and is heading your way."

"Ah, thank you Mae-san," he said, a small smile adorning his face as he hung up the phone. So all that worry about Shigure. . . The sudden peal of laughter that came from Hatori shocked human and canine Shigure, the former glad to see his friend laughing but confused on the cause. The doctor wiped his eyes as the laughter died down and rolled his chair so that he was sitting next to Shigure. He gracefully snapped a pair of wooden chopsticks apart and began to eat his lunch. He tossed a piece of chicken to the large black dog who snapped it up gratefully. Shigure was looking at him very oddly, as if his normally serious friend had grown a pair of wings from his back.

"Honestly, are you feeling quite well? Should we call a doctor to take care of you?" the real Shigure asked as he pulled his chopsticks apart. Hatori chuckled lightly and gave his friend an endearing look. Considering Shigure was much more used to a vexed look than any sort of loving or friendly gaze, the novelist was slightly taken aback.

"I am feeling quite fine now, thanks to you," the doctor finally responded, proceeding to eat more of the delicious lunch. Not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, Shigure went with the occasion and put his arm around Hatori's shoulder.

"Well, glad I could help then," he declared and began to eat his lunch, the arm slowly falling from Hatori's shoulder to land around his waist. Shigure was delighted that Hatori hadn't shaken him off yet. When his hand dared to reach down just a bit farther, Hatori stopped eating and gave him a look. Smiling apologetically, Shigure pulled the hand back up but didn't let go of the doctor's waist. Hatori didn't make him. Both continued eating in companionable silence. They were interrupted by a quiet "woof." Dog-Shigure was standing near the door and was giving them an anxious look.

"I believe Shigure needs to heed mother nature's call. Go let him out for a while," human-Shigure informed Hatori. Hatori was a bit embarrassed at forgetting such a mundane detail but dutifully rose out of his seat and went to the door. He hesitated. Though it wasn't Shigure for real, Hatori liked the dog. Would it even come back if he let it go?

"Well? He really does have to go," Shigure said, customary smirk on his face. Hatori looked down at the dog, whos tail started to wag.

"He isn't my dog. I don't know if he'll come back or just run off."

"He'll come back. He likes you. Trust me."

Hatori opened the door and let the canine out then closed the door, leaving just a small gap open so the dog could nose his way back in. He returned to his seat and resumed eating, emitting a small huff when Shigure's arm crept back to its resting place. The arm was warm though, and it gave Hatori a comfortable feeling.

"So what brings you over here anyway?" he finally asked the novelist. Not that he wasn't eternally grateful that Shigure had shown up, quelling all the fears that had built up in Hatori's heart, but he was curious as to what Shigure wanted in the first place.

"Why to see you of course. Am I not allowed to visit my best friend?" Shigure responded in a hurt voice. Hatori knew well enough the hurt was fake. If Shigure was really hurt he acted very different. The last time Shigure had shown up unexpectedly and done something for Hatori and Hatori only was when Kana was getting married. Looking quickly at the calendar, Hatori realized it was a full month from that date. Not a huge anniversary or event, but Shigure must have decided it was big enough. Hatori also knew Shigure well enough to know that if he mentioned the good deed, the author would deny it in his usual fashion. So instead of replying verbally, Hatori leaned in a little closer to Shigure, their sides completely touching now. They were sitting peacefully that way when dog-Shigure came back in followed by Momiji. The blonde boy was smiling at the dog but it faded into a frown of confusion when he saw the pair.

"Shigure? But I thought -" he looked at the dog and back at the man.

"You aren't the only one. It seems Hatori even named him after me," Shigure told the young man, causing Hatori to blush just a little bit. He still hadn't moved from Shigure's side.

"Two Shigure's? Maa, that will get confusing! How about we call him Shi-Shi!" Momiji suggested cheerfully. The two men and the dog all raised an eyebrow at the name. Shigure coughed into his hand.

"Maybe something more masculine." Before Momiji could come up with another fluffy name, Hatori had made the decision.

"Grey. His name is Grey."

"Grey? But he seems black to me," Momiji commented, petting the dog anyway. Shigure seemed to be listening to something, then he turned to Hatori and nodded.

"Grey, huh. He likes it. You know, if you draw it out it kind of sounds like a nickname I've heard before," Shigure commented, obviously hinting that he knew what the name meant. Hatori just ignored him. "So I guess you're keeping him, hm?"

"Well, you said he likes me, right? So I think I'll keep him around for a while, as long as he wants to stay."

Momiji's eyes lit up. "We can keep him? For real! That's great! I've never had a pet before," he said, then began talking to the dog and playing with him. Shigure took the opportunity to nuzzle Hatori's ear and give him a quick squeeze.

"I have a feeling he'll be staying a long time," he whispered causing Hatori to blush and smile.

Shigure always knew just what Hatori needed.

fruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasketfruitsbasket*

Well I hope you enjoyed my first Fruits Basket fic. If there are problems with anything, please tell me so I can fix them! ^_^ I love the show and was just waiting to write a fic for it, so I hope this is good enough. Until the next fic, my love to y'all!

Mako3