Disclaimer: Neither Fruits Basket not the Fruits Basket characters belong to me. They are the property of Natsuki Takaya. However, the plot and any original characters I may develop do belong to me.

A/N:I felt my last chapter was somewhat lacking so decided to post this one a little bit earlier than planned. Just two more chapters and then Tohru and Shigure will actually be in Greece. I hope y'all are as excited about that as I am.Hatori and Shigure are probably my two favorite people in Fruits Basket, although Momiji is close to being the second. I sometimes can't decide if I like him or Hatori better. Shigure is number one,that doesn't change. Enough about Shigure, please read and review.I like this chapter much better than the last one. This chapter changes POV a few times and so I have bolded and italicized the first few words each time the POV changes.

I want to plug one more thing. If I can, I am going to talk Yuki Seki into posting the next chapter of her fanfic "When Spring Comes... Remember Me". The two of us have been working on it together and I want us to start posting to it The first 13 chapters are all Yuki's but after that, it's the two of us. Please read and review that one if you get a chance. I think you will enjoy it.

Chapter 3 Shigure's Conscience and Hatori's Concern

Shigure slowly walked toward Hatori's house, his mind on Akito's orders. If he were totally honest with himself, he quite liked the idea of him and Tohru together on a romantic Greek island. The possibilities were endless and Akito had chosen a good location. Kythera had a long and varied history; there were many plot possibilities to be uncovered there in that remote island. The part he did not like was Tohru being used to provide amusement for Akito. Tohru had a tender heart and she would be sad if she were the cause of unhappiness for anyone else. However, if she were to fall in love with him, would it be possible to find a way to prevent the pain that seemed to be inevitable on the course Akito had chosen for them? If he could, he would spare Tohru the pain, but Yuki and Kyo would have to fend for themselves. They were the fools who had caused Akito to come up with such a clever plot. At the moment, he both admired and despised Akito.

He paused for a time under the barren cherry trees and lit a cigarette. It was time for him to be totally honest with his feelings. He was in love with Tohru-kun. He had come to that realization as Akito spoke with callous disregard for her feelings. He knew that he had been contemplating taking her from Yuki and Kyo. One did have to wonder if the boys really did love her enough and one also had to wonder, was she truly in love with one of them? Was she in love with Yuki or Kyo? He didn't really think she was because she was so balanced between the two boys. He felt sure he would have noticed if she truly had come to favor one over the other. He was not one to miss even the slightest indication of a matter such as that. He had become more aware of Tohru in the last few months than he would ever have considered possible so he would be even less likely to miss such an indication. First and foremost, the dog was for the dog and he would never fall in love with someone who loved somebody else. It was too easy to get hurt that way; his youth had been a testimony to that fact. This brought him back to the same thing he did not want to think about, the thing that his newly awakened conscience kept asking him, what happens to Kyo and Yuki if Tohru falls in love with someone else? He didn't have a conscience, or at least he hadn't, until she joined the household. He smiled in sardonic amusement. Right when it would be convenient not to care about how everyone else would feel, he couldn't not think about their feelings. Tohru, Yuki, Kyo…if he were to follow through on his true desires, how badly would they be hurt. Could he really do it? How would Akito feel about it? Hatori? Ayame? What puzzled him the most was the fact that he was actually considering these questions. Why did they matter? The answer to this question wasn't one he liked but it was quite simple. It mattered to Tohru-kun and so it mattered to him. Shigure wasn't very happy with this particular answer, buthis unhappinesswasn't going to change it.

Hatori watched his friend from the porch of his home. He could tell by Shigure's posture that he was troubled. He had a feeling he knew what it was; it had been coming for a long time. He had noticed his best friend changing from the time Tohru-kun first came to live with them. Shigure tried not to care, he pretended that others didn't matter to him, that they were all just for his amusement. He even believed it himself but Hatori knew better. Even Shigure's chaotic neutral tendencies stemmed from the fact that he wanted what was best for his family. They were every bit as much his as they were Akito's. Everything Shigure had done until this moment had been aimed toward ending his family's curse. Nothing had gotten in his way until now. Hatori was still amazed by the fact that the dog had actually had second thoughts about using someone, about using Tohru-kun to further his end. Of course, that hadn't stopped the course he had chosen; it had been an inalterable course once begun; but Shigure had shed real tears over the pain he had inflicted on Tohru. It wasn't just an act. Hatori knew he was the only one allowed to see that happen. He was the only one allowed to see the real Shigure. Even with Ayame, it was a mask more often than not. Shigure was good with masks and with hiding behind them. It was because he knew the private Shigure that he still liked him despite the fact that the public Shigure was a pervert and a nuisance. Of course, the public Shigure was a part of the real Shigure as well. Very few had seen below the surface and even those that did had never gotten to the heart until now, until the advent of Tohru-kun…The question was, how could he best help Shigure this time?

Shigure discarded the cigarette he had been smoking and ground it out with his foot. He moved toward Hatori's house, but as his feet touched the walk to Hatori's home he hesitated. He saw Hatori's slender form as the doctor leaned on the railing of his porch. Shrugging his shoulders, Shigure found his smile and walked swiftly toward the entrance. "Ha-san, you waited for me…I didn't know you cared so much."

"Can it Shigure. Come on up for coffee. I have a feeling we need to talk."

"About what, Ha-san…Akito's latest little plot? It's quite interesting. I know you are going to be so jealous when you hear about it. Just imagine…"

"Save it for when you get inside Shigure. You don't need to be sticking your foot in your mouth where everyone can see."

"How can you consider saying such a thing? Words are my gift yet you discount them. How can you do such a thing to your best friend?" He placed the back of his hand against his forehead in a melodramatic gesture feigning extreme pain.

Hatori rolled his eyes and Shigure grinned. Nevertheless, he stopped talking long enough to join Hatori in his study with a pot of coffee and a package of cigarettes between them.

The two men sat in companionable silence as Shigure considered what and how much he wanted to tell Hatori. The doctor waited patiently; he knew he would eventually be told everything even if it weren't Shigure's original intention. He just had to wait in silence. Eventually the dog would begin to talk because too much silence made him uncomfortable.

You know what Akito told me Ha-san?"

"No, but I am sure you will tell me."

"Akito said he was bored with Yuki and Kyo's actions. They have become the same day in and day out. He is no longer amused by the cat and the rat so he wants to shake things up for his entertainment."

"And how does he plan on doing this?"

"He plans on sending Tohru-kun and me to a romantic Greek Island…"

"He what?" Hatori was suddenly all attention. Shigure smiled, he had expected that reaction.

"Akito has been doing some research for me…just to amuse himself, I certainly never asked him to do my research. He knows I have finished my latest masterpiece and am now open to new plot ideas. As you know, Tohru-kun has been helping me with my research since she graduated from high school. She is very good at it. Akito decided the location for my next novel should be Kythera in Greece. He seems convinced that if Tohru-kun is away for a while, the boys will wise up to their feelings and finally let her know how they feel. Personally, I think they know how they feel but are afraid to rock the boat and make her choose between them. But Akito isn't happy with this; he wants to send Tohru-kun and I to Greece together. Isn't this just too wonderful for words? Imagine Tohru-kun and I on a beautiful Greek Isle. Ahhh…The opportunities that will open up…the cute outfits I can buy her…I'll have her all to myself. What do you think of this Ha-san?"

"When do we leave?" Hatori demanded.

"We? Ha-san, whatever do you mean?" Shigure's eyes widened in surprise with a touch of something else that Hatori could not decipher.

"I mean that I cannot trust you alone with that innocent child. Shigure I don't even want to imagine the plans you are hatching in that fertile, perverted skull of yours. I am coming with you."

"But you can't…can you? Besides, Tohru-kun is hardly a child, she is 21 years old." Shigure's eyes looked a little wild as he gazed at Hatori.

Hatori chuckled and allowed Shigure to see the smile he had been hiding behind his coffee cup. "Of course I can't, but you were almost convinced I would, weren't you?"

Hatori's gaze sharpened as he watched Shigure release a not so well concealed sigh of relief. The dog was in much deeper than he had expected. Would it be possible to convince Akito that Hatori should go along with the two? It would be fun to watch the fireworks as his best friend struggled with his chaotic emotions. He would talk to Akito as soon as Shigure left.

"What is the point of Akito engineering this research trip? It sounds like a lover's tryst to me."

"Now, now Ha-san, Akito wouldn't plan anything like that would he? He just wants to shake the boys up so that he can see some new actions out of them. After all, if they decide to make a serious grab for Tohru-kun, can you imagine thefireworks?"

"Do you honestly believe Akito would go to such lengths to stir up a new round of rivalry between Yuki and Kyo?"

"Of course I do Hatori. It's what I would do if I were extremely bored. In this, Akito and I are exactly alike. And who am I to complain; I'll have Tohru-kun, a beautiful Greek isle, and romance. What could be finer or more enjoyable?"

Hatori grimaced and shook his head. "I am not so sure I should not come."

"It will be quite all right if you don't Ha-san. Tohru-kun's virtue is safe with me. I don't know that I could say the same for any of the beautiful Greek women I am sure to meet, but you can trust me on this."

"Shigure, don't make a promise you can't keep."

"Ha-san, I always keep my promises." Shigure said seriously.

"Are you certain there is nothing more to Akito's plan?"

"Not that I'm sure of…It sounds like he told me his full reason for ordering this be done. Yuki and Kyo will have to stay here because of school, and no one else is available to come either. He's thought this through quite thoroughly, it seems. Of course that makes me wonder…is there more to this than I am seeing?"

"I will give it some thought, Shigure. If I think of anything I will be sure to let you know. I suppose you are wanting to go home to lunch now?"

"As a matter of fact I am. Would you like to come Ha-san? I'm sure Tohru-kun will be happy to add an extra plate to the table."

"Thank you Shigure, but I will pass. Perhaps tonight…"

"Certainly Ha-san, I'll let her know to expect you tonight." Shigure snubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and prepare to leave. "I will see you later."

Hatori bade Shigure good bye and watched him exit the Sohma compound. He hadn't been told everything yet, but there was always tonight.