✔Summer Rain |Fruits Basket| HatsuHaru Sohma

7- Shigures a Fool

"You must be the wonderful Mei I keep hearing about?" The man called Shigure asked, leaning in closely to my face. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Would you stop being an idiot and just let her in?" Hatori's annoyed voice came from behind Shigure. "Hello Mei, it's good to see you again."

"Oh I was just having a bit of fun Haa-chan!!" Shigure whined, stepping aside lazily.

"It's nice to see you as well Hatori-san. I'm sorry to stop by without much warning-" I bowed.

"It's quite alright. Why don't we head into the sitting room and I'll make us all some tea?" Hatori asked as I slipped my shoes off in the entry way.

"That'd be great." I smiled and followed the two men through the house. I was sure there was some rule about not being home alone with an of age man, but something about them seemed kind and unproblematic.

Hatori stood at the stove in the kitchen while Shigure paced lazily around the counter as he waited for the tea to be made. "The kids should be home soon, would you like to stay for dinner Mei?" Shigure asked, leaning on his elbows against the counter.

"I really shouldn't intrude-"

"Nonsense! I'm sure our lovely maiden would be more than willing to make dinner for you! Please, I insist!" He cut me off.

"If you don't think it'll be a problem then-" I nodded. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone in the house."

"Wonderful!!" He cheered.

"If you don't mind my asking-" I said, taking a piping cup of tea from Hatori as he sat down on the floor beside me with his medical bag. "Are you a father Shigure? You mentioned you had kids."

Hatori snickered quietly as he pulled out his stethoscope and held it up to my chest.

"Although they may not see it that way, I feel I may be the fatherly figure they've always needed in their lives! I'm such a good person, right Haa-chan?!"

I huffed heavily. "Forget I asked." I mumbled as I sipped my tea. "How come you don't live in the estate like Hatori-san?"

Shigure looked at Hatori for a moment with a look I couldn't read, then smiled back at me. "I wanted to be free of the estate for a bit. Too many people in my opinion."

That sounded similar to something Haru said, about the estate not being as nice as I thought it was. Could it be that all the Sohmas thought the same thing and there was something I was missing? "How many people live at the estate?"

"Aren't you just full of questions?" Shigure cooed. "One-hundred and fifty, give or take. Only about fifty people live inside the main house, where Hatori lives."

"And are you a doctor for the entire family, or just those inside the main house?" I asked, looking over my shoulder at Hatori who was messing with a pad of paper.

"I treat mostly those inside the main house, but once in a while I treat someone on the outside. I come here quite often." He spoke, sending Shigure a teasing glare. "Now, how are you feeling? Have you been feeling light headed or ill in the last few days?"

"I fell sick for about four or five days, but mostly just a minor fever and some chills." I explained, sipping the last of my tea as he wrote down my ailments.

"Did you rest for those days?" He asked almost accusatory, as if he knew I hadn't been resting at all.

Which wouldn't be far off. "For the first day-" I paused. "And then I had to get back to the work I missed that day."