Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with 'Fruits Basket', except this fanfic and my own characters.

Author's Note: First 'Fruits Basket' fic. About a girl called Natsu Amaya[own character. Living far from home, she meets the Sohma family.

Here's the next chapter ('Finally'… I know). Hope it was worth the wait.

Chapter Eight: Conditional Love

When we entered the living room of Shigure's house that evening, we were greeted with a round of applause.

"How did… you know?" I asked nervously.

"Well, Ha'ri told us what happened," replied Momiji.

"Out of concern," Hatori looked serious.

"And after a lot of persuasion," Uo smiled and exchanged glances with Hana.

"It's true, Natsu," Momiji started to explain. "He's not the kind to gossip. He just wanted to make sure we could support you, you know if – Well, I guess it doesn't matter now anyway."

"Yeah, it couldn't be more obvious, which way it turned out," said Kyo.

"Yeah" Tohru agreed, smiling, "holding hands is a great sign."

Everyone stared at us. Then after exchanging glances Shigure and I looked down at our hands. We 'were' holding hands. Feeling a little embarrassed, I moved my hand away from his hold.

"It's okay Natsu. I'm sorry" Tohru spoke quickly. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. We all think it's great."

"It's about time anyway," added Kyo.

"Well, now that everyone's told us what they think I hope you'll excuse us," Shigure spoke for the first time since we had arrived together. "Natsu and I have something to attend to. We'll be upstairs if you need us." With that, he took hold of my hand once again and led me towards his room.

"He sure doesn't waste anytime," Hatsuharu said quietly.

"Haru," Hatori sounded disappointed.

"Everyone's thinking it," said Haru defensively.

"What do you mean…?" Tohru asked, puzzled.

"Everyone except Tohru, you mean," said Uo.

I entered Shigure's room wondering what he had in mind. He followed me in and closed the door after himself.

"Natsu… there's no easy way around this," began Shigure, his tone serious. "There are going to have to be a few rules."

"Rules…?" I asked bewildered.

"If this is going to work, I need you to trust me and do as I say, okay?"

Uncertain, I nodded slowly in response.

"You can't hug me," he spoke slowly.

"I … don't understand… Why –"

"Please Natsu, you have to trust me," he interrupted, taking my hands in his. "For us…?" His eyes were gentle.

I considered what Shigure was asking of me. This was my first serious relationship… or so I had thought. I had never felt like this about anyone before. Weren't you supposed to get close to the person you loved? Then… how was this supposed to work…? It seemed hopeless from the start… but then… if I didn't give it a chance I would never know. Or worse yet… someday I might regret it. I had to trust him. He must have had a genuine reason… I just wish I knew what it was.

"Okay…" I tried to sound positive. "What are the other rules?"

Shigure and I were together now, but the day didn't seem much different from any other day. Although, one difference was the way everyone kept grinning at me. They seemed happier about Shigure and me being together than I was. Hatori, on the other hand was the exception. When he looked at me, I noticed concern in his eyes. When I first met him, I would have said he was concerned for Shigure. Now, I had the feeling he was worried for me. I decided not to ponder over it. I guess… whatever is meant to happen will happen whether it's good or bad. The other difference was now that I was supposedly Shigure's girlfriend, he stopped flirting with me. It was nice to be taken seriously for a change, but it was like he had lost interest now that he knew I returned his feelings. If this was love, it was nothing at all like I expected it to be.
Today Ayame and Mine had invited Shigure and me round to dinner. Ayame had specifically come round to invite us. He was ecstatic. Again, it made me question my own feelings for Shigure. Why was everyone so pleased to see us together…? If we were such a good match, why didn't I feel as happy about it as they were…? More so, did Shigure even feel the same way…? Or was it just pity…? ... The origin of my doubts became clear. Shigure had never really told me how he felt. He just –

"Natsu, white or red?" asked Ayame.

"What…?" I said, startled.

"Wine…?"

"Oh, wine. I'm sorry Ayame."

"It's Aaya, remember."

"Aaya… I don't drink."

"Fair enough," he said a little disappointed. "By the look of the things though, it maybe a good idea if you did start. You seemed to be in a daze. Where were you?"

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"Are you all right, Natsu?" Mine said, looking worried. "I hope the food was okay."

"The food was lovely Mine," I reassured her. "Thank you… And please, don't worry."

"You know you shouldn't think too much," said Ayame.

"Aaya's right," agreed Mine. "It's bad for you. I used to do that and from my experience it just makes you miserable. You need to relax."

"Right and there's nothing like good wine to help you unwind. Wouldn't you agree Shigure?"

"Right again, Aaya" Shigure smiled briefly.

"You should bring her round to the idea Shigure. A romantic dinner just isn't the same without a little bubbly. Besides, it's not fun drinking alone."

"Yeah, really Natsu, it's not that bad. You should try some," said Shigure taking a sip of wine before eating some pistachios.

"Shigure you must let us design your wedding oufits," Mine said, excitedly.

"Wh –" Shigure began coughing before he could get his words out.

"Shigure, are you all right?"

Shigure shook his head in response, grabbing at his throat.

"He's choking," cried Mine, "Aaya do something."

Aaya began hitting Shigure on the back, but it didn't seem to be working.

"The Heimlich Manoeuvre," I called out.

"What?" Aaya looked puzzled.

My first instinct was to do it myself, but as I got beside Shigure I remembered what he had said. Did this count …? Then without another thought, I quickly told Aaya what to do. "Grab him from behind and put your hands on his stomach and squeeze as hard as you can!"

"This is hardly the time for a hug,"

"Just do it!"

Aaya took hold of Shigure and did as I had instructed. After a moment, the lodged pistachio came flying out.

"Wow. It really worked," Aaya seemed surprised.

"Shigure are you all right?" Mine poured him a glass of water.

"Yeah, thanks to Aaya," he replied taking the drink, before gulping it down.

"I think you mean Natsu," said Aaya, sincerely.

"You're right," Shigure agreed, then turned to face me. "Thank you."

"I'm glad you're okay," I told him quietly.

"The phone's ringing Aaya. Would you mind getting it? I'm just finishing off this seam."

"Sure Mine, not a problem," he replied. "Ayame's Fashions where fashion is our passion – now featuring the new and exclusive Miname range. How can I help you?"

"Aaya, it's me."

"Ha'ri," he paused for a second, "why didn't you say something?"

"It was easier to let you finish," said Hatori.

"What did you think?"

"About what…?"

"Our new motto – fashion is our passion. It's good isn't it?"

"Yeah," Hatori replied impassively.

"It was my idea," Ayame sounded pleased with himself. "You know, you should have one for your surgery. You'll get a lot more clients that way. Something like…" He thought about it for a moment. "'Doctor Hatori – he'll save a life for a price'."

"I'll have to think about it."

"Talking about saving lives, did you happen to hear about Shigure?"

"What happened?"

"Natsu saved Shigure, with the uh…'Hamlet' move or something," Ayame explained.

"Hamlet…?"

"Shigure was choking. You would've been proud of her Ha'ri."

"You mean the 'Heimlich Manoeuvre'."

"Right, that's the one."

"Then she knows…?" enquired Hatori.

"I don't think so," Ayame paused briefly. "She told me what to do."

"But then, if she doesn't know… Why didn't she attempt to help him herself?"

"I have no idea. I guess you'll have to ask Shigure."

"Right..."

"Thinking back, though, Natsu did seem really quiet."

"Isn't she always?"

"It was different… like she was in a world of her own."

"Mine thinks there was something not quite right between her and Shigure."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. She just said it was her women's intuition."

"Aaya, would you mind giving me a little help with this?" Mine called from the next room.

"Excuse me for a moment Ha'ri." With that Ayame lowered the phone, then called back in response "Sure, Mine. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Right, sorry about that. Where were we – Oh, I remember. I got a little sidetracked. What was it that you wanted Ha'ri?"

"Nothing really, Aaya, it was just a social call."

"Then you don't mind if we catch up again another time...?" Ayame waited for Hatori's response.

"Sure."

"It's just that Mine seems to be having a slight problem with the phantom's costume. Our client needs it tonight."

"Well, I'll let you get on with it then."

"Okay. Speak to you soon, Ha'ri."

"Bye, Aaya."

Shigure's words echoed in my mind. It was an odd request from someone who wanted to be a couple. At Aaya's house, I had felt so helpless. We were lucky we weren't alone. Did saving his life count…? I wondered what he thought about me. Maybe, that was the exception and I let him down. The reality was… if Shigure and I had been alone, I would've had no choice… What had he wanted me to do…? The more I thought about it, the more confused I was about the whole thing. Things just seemed to get worse.
It sounded like someone had opened the front door. I went to have a look.

"Morning, Natsu." It was Hatori.

"Hi," I greeted him in response.

"I didn't mean to startle you," said Hatori. Undoubtedly he had seen my surprised expression. "I thought everyone would still be asleep. So I used the spare key," Hatori held out the key to show me.

"That's ok – I mean… you don't have to explain to me," I felt a bit flustered.

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked.

"I could ask the same about you," I replied.

"That's true," Hatori said, taking off his shoes.

...Why did I say that? It had sounded so childish...

"Come on, Natsu." He sounded genuinely concerned. "It's Sunday and just gone past 6:30am. Unless you've got somewhere to be, there's something bothering you."

"You're good," I gave a little smile.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing really. I just couldn't sleep."

"Is everything all right… between you and Shigure?" Hatori enquired.

"Sure. Why shouldn't it be?" I said defensively.

"I hear you saved his life," he said tactfully.

"Sort of, I guess." I took a deep breath. "It was Aaya really."

"As far as he's concerned, he wouldn't have known what to do without you. In my book, that makes you the one who saved his life… There's just one thing that puzzled me," Hatori stopped for a moment as he took off his jacket. "If you knew what to do, why didn't you do it yourself?"

"I guess…" I thought about it for a moment. I couldn't tell him what Shigure had said. It was painful enough already and what would Hatori think of me? "I was scared."

"Scared?"

"Of not being able to help him…" I said slowly. "Well, he is a lot bigger than me and I thought Aaya would be stronger than me."

"I see," he paused, as if he was in a deep thought. "Well, if there's anything you ever need or you just want someone to talk to, just give me a call," he continued as he handed me his card. "I am a doctor after all. I can prescribe something too, if you still have trouble sleeping."

"Thanks Hatori."

"Well, I'll leave you to it. I've got a patient to look in on."

"You mean Shigure."

"Right, it's nothing to worry about," he reassured me. "Just a check up because of what happened yesterday." With that he made his way upstairs.

Since I met him, Hatori's attitude towards me had changed. He seemed more positive about me living with the Sohmas, but that didn't mean I trusted him completely. There was just something about him… something that made me feel that it wasn't a good idea to get too friendly.

"Rise and shine, Shigure," Hatori said opening the curtains and letting the light in.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly seven," he replied.

"Too early Ha'ri… Sorry," Shigure yawned before pulling the duvet over his head.

"Natsu's up."

"Maybe she's had enough sleep," he said, still under the covers.

"She said she couldn't sleep. I wonder why that is."

"It's a mystery all right."

"I heard what happened yesterday, so I thought I'd drop by and check you're okay."

"I'm fine," said Shigure, now sitting up, his blanket covering him up to his waist. "What is it that you really want Hatori?"

"You're due a check up and I'm your doctor. Is that so strange?"

"No."

"Then open up." Shigure opened his mouth and Hatori put in a thermometer. "Didn't you find it strange that Natsu didn't help you herself?"

Shigure shook his head in response.

"Then you've told her everything."

"No, I haven't," Shigure said, as he took the thermometer out of his mouth.

"If she loves you, she wouldn't have just stood there. Not unless, she knows something."

"Why don't you just let it go?"

"You know why. I need to know the truth so I can help you."

"Fine… All I said to her was that…" Shigure drifted off.

"What?"

"That she… she couldn't hug me."

"Why on Earth did you say that?" Hatori looked at him intently.

"Well, it seemed like the right idea at the time. I thought it would make things easier."

"And now…?"

"It's awkward... I can't act the way I used to with her. Especially now that I know she has feelings for me."

"Did you give her a reason 'why' she couldn't hug you?"

"No. I just told her to trust me."

"How long do you think you can keep this up? Don't you think she'll begin to wonder why she can't be close to you?"

"We can still be close. Like you and – " Shigure and Hatori exchanged looks.

"I don't think that'll help you win your case."

"Yeah... Sorry Ha'ri." Shigure was quiet for a moment. "Okay then… Tohru understands, so why not Natsu?"

"Natsu isn't Tohru," replied Hatori, matter-of-factly. "We were lucky with Tohru," he paused. "Some of us were hurt by our own flesh and blood because they didn't understand or wouldn't try to. You should know that better than anyone Shigure. Everyone does come to you when they're in trouble."

"Then isn't it about time that I'm the one in trouble?" Shigure sighed heavily "Did you know I haven't kissed her or held her since the day we got together?"

"Then if you really love her you need to do something or you will lose her. Otherwise, let her go and live her life."

It was Hatori's pager. I considered taking it to him, but he was in Shigure's room. Besides he was having a check-up. Patient-doctor confidentiality and all that – I don't think Hatori would be very happy…. Who was I kidding…? Since Shigure and I got together it had felt like we had drifted further apart. Something had changed… what it was, I didn't quite understand and it seemed that Shigure wasn't ready to discuss it anyway. He had made that clear when he told me there were rules and I asked him for a reason. '…. you have to trust me' – in reality that was just another way of saying 'I can't tell you'… I had to trust him, right? That is what you do if you care about someone… but then why wouldn't he trust me? ... Hatori was sure to be down soon, he had been up there almost an hour. The pager beeped again. Hatori was a doctor! What if it was urgent? I had no choice.
I knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in," called Shigure. "We're done here, aren't we Ha'ri?"

I slowly opened the door and entered.

"Natsu, what brings you here? I mean – is everything alright?"

"Your pager," I turned towards Hatori "it was beeping. I thought it might be urgent."

"Thank you," he replied as he took the pager from me. "You were right. Duty calls."

"Perhaps, I'll come by tomorrow," he looked at Shigure.

"Sure," said Shigure.

"And think about what I said."

Shigure nodded.

"Bye Natsu," Hatori said as he left the room.

"Bye," I called after him, making my way to leave the room. Before I could, Shigure grabbed my hand from behind.

"Stay a while."

I turned to face him. "Do you want me to?" I asked quietly.

"What sort of question is that?" he smiled.

"I – I wanted to ask you. Did I do the right thing? At Aaya's… I mean."

"You saved my life."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know…," he sighed. "You did the right thing. You trusted me. Thank you."

"But haven't you ever wondered? What if it was worse? If you and I… if we were alone?" I hoped he would elaborate on the matter and trust me just as he expected me to trust him. There was an awkward silence. He was staring right at me. All of a sudden, Shigure took my hand and led me towards his bed and sat down.

Then gesturing for me to sit beside him, he finally spoke "We weren't. So there's no point worrying." He paused for a moment and gave me an intent look. "Is that why you've been quiet?" Just as before, he avoided discussing the matter further.

"… I'm always quiet," I smiled, hoping to convince him that everything was fine. "You know that."

"Maybe before… but you've opened up a lot now."

"I've heard people tend to do that when they trust someone or even love."

"Which one is it?" Shigure laughed.

"Love, I guess... They do say love is blind," I smiled again but briefly. "What about you?"

"Well… I know I can trust you with my life," he grinned.

"Yeah, you can," I nodded.

"I heard Miss Amaya is still at Shigure's house," began Akito.

"Yes," Hatori answered.

"Is it serious?"

"I don't know."

"Don't know?" Akito said holding his palm against Hatori's face. "Or won't tell me?"

"You really shouldn't worry about her, Akito. Your health is more important."

"I know that," he snapped, moving his hand away. Then he took a deep breath. "It is okay, Ha'ri," he spoke in a gentler tone, "I know that you just want what's best for me… That's right isn't it?"

"Of course," replied Hatori.

"You want me to be happy?" Akito smirked.

Hatori nodded.

"Then you should understand Ha'ri… That woman makes me… unhappy. Now we can't have that, can we?"

"You should talk to Shigure. It's his house, after all."

"Do not presume to tell me what to do Hatori," he retorted. "You are nothing just like those other worthless animals, put here only to serve me."

"I apologise for offending you," Hatori said, bowing his head. "I will leave you in peace." He stood up.

"Uh, not so fast," Akito grabbed his hand. "You think this has nothing to do with you." Akito stood up beside Hatori, still clinging to his hand "That… is where you are wrong."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't," Akito laughed. "You'd all be lost without me."

"What do you want from me?"

"Ask yourself this…?" He beckoned for Hatori to move closer. Then he whispered "Do you want what happened to Kana to happen to Natsu?"

"…" Hatori looked horrified.

"I didn't think so. Then you'll do as I ask, won't you Hatori?"

Unfortunately, that is all for now. Hope you're still enjoying the story.

Thanks for reading,

Lady Leonhart

19/08/2007