Title: Tangled Fates

Pairing: HaruxOC

Summary : The Sohma household has been hiding another dark secret. A girl, who's will to live was broken by Akito, is now to move into Shigure's home. Will she be fixed again? And will she help to fix the others? HaruxOC

Chapter 1: Prologue

Hello everyone!

I've been toying with the idea of this story for a few months now, and only today have I started to pen it down!

This story is based on the Manga, and it will slightly differ from it. I will try to make it that the sequence of events will be the same though.

I hope that it will turn out as nicely as it has been in my head, and I hope that you enjoy this story!

This is my first time writing a Fruits Basket fic, so please be kind to me!

Disclaimer : I do not own Fruits Basket!

Chapter 1: Prologue

In the Sohma household, lies a dark secret…

A secret that only a selected few know. A curse that only a selected few involves.

The Sohma family curse; The curse of the Zodiacs.

However, the enigmatic Sohma family has many secrets, and not all have been uncovered yet…

"LET ME GO! I WON'T LET HER GET AWAY WITH THIS!" screamed the head of the Sohma household. "HOW DARE SHE TAKE AWAY HATSUHARU!"

Akito struggled to get out of the firm hold of Kureno, who was trying unsuccessfully to calm him down. Hatori kneeled beside the wounded Rin Sohma, who was lying unconscious on the ground where she had landed after being pushed off the second level by the same person who was screaming.

"Akito?" a soft voice came from the door connecting to Akito's personal room. In walked a petite girl wearing a pale pink kimono. She gracefully glided across the room floor to kneel beside the head of the household.

Just then, she did one wrong move; to touch his arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" yelled Akito, and with an amazing strength coming from a frail person, he managed to shrug off Kureno's hold, and he slapped the petite female across her face hard, causing blood to be spit from said girl's mouth.

The girl did not raise her head. But after a few prolonged moments of utmost silence, she calmly looked at Akito's eyes, her own holding no sign of life. Her dull violet eyes stared deep into his, and Akito felt a single shiver streak down his spine.

The girl did not bother to rub away the thin trail of blood trickling down her chin. She just sat there and stared at Akito, not moving.

For the first time in his life, Akito felt a wave of panic overwhelming his senses. He had hit her, the girl who he swore to never harm in his life.

Hatori walked through the halls of the main household, heading to the head of the family's room. He knocked twice on the rice paper door, and waited patiently for a response.

"Come in," came the familiar voice of the sickly person that Hatori had frequently attended to. Hatori obeyed the command and slid open the door, entering the room before kneeling politely on the floor next to Akito.

The said person laid on the floor, one elbow supporting the weight of his head, while the other hand held up a bird.

"What is it, Hatori?" came the lifeless voice of Akito.

"I have something to suggest."

Akito didn't react to that sentence, and only said, "And what may that be?"

Hatori silently prepared himself to be yelled at for the thing he was about to propose. "I know you're still feeling guilty about hitting her," he started. "I was thinking of giving her some time to breathe. Considering she has already endured 10 years of being under your care, you can rest assured that she will never betray you." He closed his eye, silently sitting there and preparing himself for the impact he was sure he was going to face.

"That seems like a good idea," came the reply. He sat up straight, eye opened wide with surprise as his plan was accepted so readily. He was sure that Akito would put up more of a fight. After all, she was the one that he treasured the most. "Please inform her for me. She will be leaving for Shigure's house tomorrow."

"Tori-chan," the soft voice said. "What are you doing here?"

Hatori entered the room and knelt in front of the girl. "I will help you pack now."

Violet eyes stared at him, void of life. Hatori felt his heart tighten in sadness, knowing that there was a time where those same eyes shined brightly with happiness, excitement, and the joy of living. 'I wish that I can see those shining eyes once more. I yearn to see it again.'

"Are we going somewhere, Tori-chan?"

He gave her a small but sincere smile. "You're going to be free again. You'll be living with Shigure, and going to school. You won't have to be trapped in this dark room anymore," he said in a hushed voice. For a moment, he swore that he had seen a flicker of life in those eyes.

"You'll never be alone anymore, Kairi."

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