Eternal Bonds: A Fruits Basket story

The Elsher Conflict

Two kids were making their way through the Sohma Estate. Still clad in their school uniforms, the walked around the porch on their way to their respective rooms.
"I'm starving," a boy with shaggy, dark hair complained holding his stomach.
"I told you to grab a snack at the vending machine before we left," the girl next to him scolded. "But did you listen to me? No!"
"I told you I wasn't hungry, Piper!!"
"Well, maybe you can convince Rory to take us all out to eat." Piper suggested fiddling with her braid before tossing it behind her.
The boy grumbled. "Easier said than done."
The two kids walked across a small wooden bridge that hovered over a small river and headed over to the other side of the estate where the others were residing. The afternoon sun was at it's peak in the sky with no clouds in sight. Piper looked up towards the sky, her green eyes squinting as she tried not to be blinded by the sun's rays. She looked over at the boy walking beside her as he wiped his glasses on his shirt to clean them. If Piper had to be honest, her favorite thing about Samuel was his glasses. She always told him that they made him look smart and like he could solve any problem.
That was pretty much who he was in the family. All of the others would call him the 'conflict solver' of the group. He acted like a set of scales to help balance out the others. She always thought that made sense considering he was possessed by the spirit of Libra. He would always try to keep the peace instead of conflict.
As the two were about to turn towards their home, they are stopped by a loud thud coming from a few feet ahead. Their feet slid against the cobblestone as they tried to think about what could make that sound.
"What do you think that was, Samuel?" Piper asked him.
"I...I don't know." Samuel looked around carefully. His eyes scanned the area until he saw an odd lump laying behind a bush. He couldn't see the full thing but he could definitely notice it. He reached down and grabbed Piper's hand and tugged her over to the odd lump. As they got further to it, they noticed the lump became to look more like a person. Samuel looked down and his eyes widened as he recognized the midnight-blue hair that was strewn across her face. He knelt down and knew that it was Kamille.
Bruises and cuts covered her arms and legs as well as a steady stream of blood ran down her temple. A scream pierced his ears as he looked behind him to see Piper covering her mouth in horror and shock at what she saw. Tears poured out of her eyes like a waterfall. He quickly turned his attention back to the girl who was a few years older, worry written all over his face.
********************
Alana was chilling on her bed flipping through the pages of her book while soft music played through her room. She looked over to see Ari, another zodiac member, fiddling with the pens on her desk. She sighed as she noticed Ari had a look of concentration on her face. Alana knew immediately that she was getting new ideas in her head and a sense of dread came over her.
Suddenly, a scream tore through the air causing both girls to flinch and jump to a standing position. They looked at each other as the scream was one they knew well. Immediately, both girls tore out of Alana's bedroom and ran outside. They looked around to try and figure out where the scream came from. Alana didn't show it, but she was panicking on the inside. She knew that it was Piper who screamed and she sounded like she was terrified. The first thought in her head was immediately that Akito did something, and she hoped that it wasn't the case.
"Hey!"
Alana looked over at Ari.
"It came from over there." Ari pointed in the direction where the scream sounded.
The two girls sprinted over to where Ari was pointing to. They rounded a corner and saw both Samuel and Piper looking at them, fear evident on their faces. They quickly ran over and were horrified to see Kamille unconscious and covered in cuts and bruises. Ari pulled Piper towards her in a hug to comfort her. Quickly, Alana knelt down to check on Kamille. She snapped her head to Samuel. "Get Hatori."
********************
A week later...
In all honesty, Rory was drained. After the whole incident with Kamille being injured, the amount of sleepless nights finally caught up to him. He let out a draining sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was so tired that he didn't even notice that the door was opened and someone sitting in front of him. A cup of tea was placed in front of him as he looked up to see Hatori sitting in front of him.
"You look like you need this." Hatori stated sliding the cup towards Rory.
"Thanks," he replied grabbing the cup and getting a sip before placing it back down on the table.
"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the visit, but you never come here without a reason. Is something on your mind?"
Rory let out a dry chuckle. "To be honest, Hatori, I have a lot of shit on my mind right now."
"Well you can tell me. I'll listen." Hatori looked around his office. "And besides, what is said in this room, stays in this room."
Rory gave his friend a small smile before beginning his explanation.
"It's getting worse every day. Akito is getting more and more aggressive on the others and I can see it's taking a toll on them. The kids are terrified. Especially after what happened with Kamille. Don't get me wrong, me as well as Victoria and Daniel are trying to help, but it doesn't seem to be working."
Hatori's eyes widened as he listened to his friend. He knew that all of this was taking a toll on Rory, but he had never seen him like this before.
Rory continued. "Something needs to change. I've been thinking about it a lot recently, and I believe that as the oldest and the leader of our family, I need to do what's best for the kids. And I thought that maybe the best thing is... to leave the Sohma Estate." Rory stood up and looked out the window. "Think about it. These kids are trapped inside this place and the only time they go outside is to go to school. Also, this place is getting a little cramped for us. I believe the best thing is to move out of the estate and get our own place. We would be nearby so that they can come and see the others. These kids need freedom, and if us moving can give them even a sliver of it, then I will do it." Rory turned to Hatori. "What do you think?"
Hatori thought about what Rory told him. He loved the Elsher kids as well and he hated it when Kamille was hurt by Akito. He pushed his chair back and walked over to Rory. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I agree with you. The kids need more space, and I think it would be good for them."
Rory let out a sigh of relief.
"Although," Hatori started. "You need to talk it over with Akito."
Immediately, Rory felt a chill run through his spine at the thought of talking to Akito about leaving. He had a feeling that it probably wouldn't end well. No, he knew it wouldn't end well.
********************
"You can't be serious about this!!!"
Rory sighed as he listened to the servant berate the three adults.
"You cannot just leave the estate!! You need Akito's permission and he wouldn't allow it!!"
"Akito said it was okay for us to move out." Daniel spoke up. He stepped forward leaning over the woman. "Do you have a problem with that?"
The servant flinched at Daniel's ice-cold tone of voice. She scoffed and left the room.
"Crazy old bat. I always hated her," said Daniel as he watched her walk away.
"My goodness, Daniel. I've never heard you say something like that. What did you do? Have a swig of Sasha's bitch juice?" Rory teased.
Daniel looked at Rory with an icy glare. That said enough as Rory raised his hands up in mock surrender while mouthing 'sorry'.
Victoria sighed at the two boys. She walked over to Rory and asked, "What did Akito say when you asked about us moving?"
Rory thought back to the conversation with Akito.
*******************
"I'm hoping you will understand why I'm asking you this." Rory said as he sat on the floor opposite of Akito who was staring outside. "The kids really need a bigger space and I think it would be good for them to have their own place. We'll still be nearby so they can come visit whenever they want." He watched as Akito pondered over Rory's proposal. He was waiting for him to say no to the whole thing and probably hit him for good measure.
"Alright."
Rory perked up at that.
"You all can have your own place." Akito answered. "However, on one condition." He stood up and walked over to Rory. "Evelyn cannot live with you."
Rory's eyes widened at that statement. He stood up quickly. "What do you mean Evelyn can't live with us?! She's part of our-"
"That 'thing' is not apart of your family. She is an outsider, but yet you treat her like she is one of you." Akito then grabbed Rory's shirt pulling him down. "She is not!! If she lives with you, she will taint all of you. If you want to move out of this house, Evelyn cannot go with you."
"But what will we do for her?"
Akito smirked. "You'll have to figure that out."
********************
"You can't be serious," yelled Daniel.
"I can't believe this!!" Victoria exclaimed.
Both of them were appalled by what Akito said. Rory sighed and leaned against the wall in frustration.
"I don't know what to do. We are going to leave no matter what, but we need to figure out Evelyn's situation." Rory contemplated. All three of them sat there in silence trying to come up with suggestions. She couldn't live on her own because she was too young for that. And they knew that she wasn't going to stay here. They were stuck.
"Perhaps I can give you a suggestion."
The three adults turned to see Shigure standing in the doorway.
"Shigure," whispered Victoria.
"Hello, Victoria," he greeted.
"Oh look. Sticking your nose in other's business. Just like a dog." Daniel remarked.
"Come now, Daniel. I just happened to be walking by when I heard your little predicament. You all were quite loud." Shigure said.
Daniel let out a suspicious hum and crossed his arms.
"And what suggestion do you have for us, Shigure," asked Rory.
"How about Evelyn come live with me? She wouldn't be alone and certainly not here. Plus, Yuki will be living there as well, so she won't be totally alone."
Victoria, Rory, and Daniel all looked at Shigure in surprise. They didn't even think about that.
"Are you sure?" Victoria asked.
"Positive." Shigure replied.
The three look at each other with hesitation. Should they really trust Shigure with Evelyn?
"I'm okay with it."
The four adults look to see Evelyn standing in the doorway, her hands stuffed in her hoodie pocket.
"Are you sure, Evelyn?" Daniel asked her.
Evelyn nodded in reply. That gave a sense of comfort to the others. If she said she was okay with it, then it had to be fine.
"Then it's settled. You will live with me and Yuki in my house." Shigure said with a small smile.
"Thank you, Shigure." Rory said patting him on the shoulder.
"Don't mention it. After all, that's what friends are for."

.......~~~~~~.......
Hey guys!!! Hope you enjoyed this most recent chapter. I gotta admit, this one took every ounce in me to finish. I didn't want to put it off to tomorrow though. This was a long one and an intense one to write and it may not be perfect but whatever. Evelyn going to live with Shigure was planned since the beginning because it will be needed for *certain plot points*. Also, we have one chapter left before we get into season 1 of Fruits Basket and I am soooooo pumped for!! Anyway love you guys and I'll see you next Monday.