Okay, I had written this a while ago. I decided I might as well edit it and put it up here.

Yuki and Hatori are the stars of this show, with other significant appearances from, in order of significance, Hatsuharu, Ayame, Shigure, and Akito. Also with appearances from Kyou and Tohru.

Warning: This story may contain non-graphic rape and torture, as well as multiple love interests for Yuki and a bittersweet ending. Um… yay!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket, although I do have a basket of fruit…

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What Goes Around Comes Around: Chapter 1

It was late evening when everything finally settled down enough for Hatori to get some work done. His attempts at completing schoolwork had been interupted by inconsequential phone calls from Shigure, who was celebrating the installation of electricity in his new house by calling everybody he knew. Hatori sighed as his pen scraped mindlessly against the paper in front of him. Sometimes he wondered why he was friends with Shigure.

Only in the quiet that accompanied the descent of darkness was he able to finally make some progress. The tedious formulas covering the paper didn't mean much in his mind, but for some reason, his ability to complete them excited everybody at school.

An undignified yawn escaped his lips, which he quickly stifled with the palm of his hand. This was hardly the time to be falling asleep. He was almost finished when he heard a thump outside his room. With a barely restrained growl, the dragon slammed his work down on the table and rose.

Judging by the noise, it was a small animal outside, or even worse, a small child. Normally he would suspect the young Momiji, but not at this hour. Hatori strode over to the door and opened it roughly. Whoever this was better have had a good reason for interupting him!

Hatori took a step off of the porch and looked around. Now where was the intruder… He really didn't have time for this kind of thing right now. The glower set in his face deepened just as he felt a tiny hand clasp his ankle. Hatori looked down; it was Yuki!

Why would the rat be in his yard at this hour? His ears picked up the sound of panting and he took another look at the boy. His eyes widened; there was blood seeping through his yukata!

"Oh damn, Yuki!" He quickly grabbed Yuki, pulled him inside, and undressed him.

"What the-?" bruises and scratches covered his chest. Hatori had no doubt that Akito had done this. He grabbed some cloth and began cleaning the wounds as well as he could. There weren't actually very many scratches, but they appeared to be from Akito's nails.

He heard a pathetic whimper escape the rat's lips before his jaw clenched and he tried to hold back his tears. Other than a black eye, the boy's face was unmarred. From the looks of it, Yuki would need care tomorrow. "I'll just have to stay home from school tomorrow." The dragon decided. He felt how tense the rat's muscles were and sighed; Akito just had to keep torturing the poor boy.

Hatori caught Yuki's gaze, and immediately, his head turned and he cast his eyes away shamefully. Hatori felt a tug at his heart, what had Akito said to the boy?

"Yuki..." he said in a voice much more calm than he felt.

As if his voice released the dam of emotions the rat was holding back, the small boy flung himself into Hatori's arms. He heard sobbing and felt tears dripping down onto his arm. With one hand on the back of Yuki's head, gently petting and comforting, the other moved down to clean his back. When he felt Yuki stiffen and hold onto him tighter, he realised the most extensive damage must be on his back.

So he let his suffering cousin hold on as much as he wanted to as he gently cleaned him, producing cloth after bloody cloth. Then he gently dislodged those small arms afrom around his waist and turned his patient around.

"Damn it!" he gasped. The dragon almost lost it when he saw Yuki's back. There was no mistaking those wounds for what they were; whip marks. He knew Akito was brutal, but this? Not even from Akito would he have expected something of this nature.

He briefly clenched his fists, restraining the flood of anger that washed over him until the moment passed. Then he clamly rubbed salve over the wounds, hoping they wouldn't scar, but at the same time knowing better.

All he could do for the boy now was heal him, keep this from the others -Yuki would be ashamed if they found out- and pray. Unfortunately, his prayers weren't anwered. A month later it happened again. It went pretty much the same as last time, Hatori tended to his wounds as he held the boy, asking no questions. This time however, Yuki spoke to him.

"Ha.. Hatori?" he said in that weak, gentle voice of his. Hatori paused, letting Yuki know he was listening. Maybe his younger cousin would open up to him. Maybe he could help him get rid of some of that emotional pain he carried around with him. There was nothing he wanted more.

"Please don't tell anyone." the boy pleaded with him instead. "I don't want anyone else to know." Hatori sighed again and resumed his actions.

"Alright Yuki, no one else will know." As much as it pained him to bear the weight of this secret, them knowing wouldn't stop it. Rather, it would only make his pain more unbearable. "I'll make sure I am always here, so nobody else will find you. Would that make you happy?"

He looked down and found shocked eyes looking back at him. "You would do that? But why... why would you throw away your freedom?" the boy questioned, now feeling guilty about what Hatori was willing to sacrifice for him.

"Because we're all trapped here, all of us are within Akito's power." Hatori told him. It was true really, none of them could ever really escape. All they could do was try to live their lives the best they could without any real freedom.

"I will become a doctor, so I can always be here to take care of you. No matter what Yuki, I will not let you be all alone." Determination made it's way into Hatori's heart. That's right, he'd never leave Yuki to suffer this alone.

With a cry Yuki flung himself into an embrace with the dragon. That's how they stayed for a long time. "I love you Hatori." Yuki sniffled. Hatori smiled and returned the sentiment.

Yes, he cared more about Yuki than even Ayame or Shigure. Nobody needeed his help more. He wasn't exactly sure why, but something in Yuki called to him. All he could do now was try to keep him safe…

The next time Hatori saw Yuki, it was under different circumstances. Part of his curse as the dragon was that he was the one required to protect their secret. He alone had the power to remove the memory of others, and as such, he alone bore the weight of the other's grief.

So when Ayame brought him the news that Yuki had transformed in front of a group of his friends, he felt the resurfacing of that burden. One by one, he visited their homes, until every one of them had forgotten.

As if erasing the memories of ones so young wasn't enough, he found Yuki waiting for him when he returned. "Hatori?" he asked quietly, his voice shaking. Fearing the worst, Hatori rushed over and knelt down by the boy's side. The injuries were there, but this time no blood had been drawn.

"What is it Yuki?" he asked, reaching for bandages. One look from those violet eyes said it all. He knew that his young cousin was grieving over the lost memory of his friends.

"Why?" the rat asked in a feeble voice, before he broke down in tears. Hatori sat there as Yuki cried onto his knee, steeling himself against the guilt.

It was at that moment that Hatori hardened his heart. Even if his friends forgot, Yuki still remembered, and he knew that nothing would ever be the same between them again.

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I suppose it's sort of short… It's a mini-story of sorts. The chapters will be shorter, and there will be no more than ten, probably less.

Anyway, this is really my first attempt at a Fruits Basket fic, so I hope it comes out well. Please review and tell me what you think!

Authors Notes:

"The tedious formulas covering the paper didn't mean much in his mind, but for some reason, his ability to complete them excited everybody at school." This was meant to imply that Hatori was a very gifted student and that he had a lot of potential.

Then later, by promising he'd become a doctor for Yuki, he's turning away from that potential.