Here's the next chapter…please read & review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket.
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Chapter 8 Back Home with a New Life
Tohru walked down the stairs and saw that Hatori, Ayame, Shigure were in the kitchen talking. Kyo was by the stove scowling.
Tohru quickly hurried in the room and apologized for waking up late and started making breakfast immediately.
"About time that you woke up." Kyo grumbled since he hasn't had his daily does of milk yet. Kyo and Tohru and broken up a year ago, she felt like a sister to Kyo; or rather, she had someone else in her heart.
"I'm so sorry!" Tohru said again as she flew around the kitchen gathering the necessary ingredients for breakfast.
"Now, now Kyonkichi, is that anyway to treat our wonderful Tohru? She deserves to rest. It is winter break you know." Ayame scolded Kyo, before adding, "I would like my eggs scrambled please."
Kyo fumed, and smacked the snake on the head; he then walked out of the room, probably up to the roof.
Ayame was rubbing his head while Shigure comforted him. Hatori sighed. Tohru was curious why the three men were gathered up in the kitchen, so she asked, "Is everything alright?" Tohru then realized that she was prying and said, "Ah! I'm sorry! It was rude of me to pry into other people's business, please forgive me!" she said quickly and then bowed.
Shigure replied, "Don't worry Tohru. We're happy to tell you. We have a meeting with the new president of the Sohma Corporation today."
"Oh!" Tohru exclaimed, she was still confused, so asked, "But…why would you need a meeting with the head of Sohma Corporations? Don't you own the company?"
Hatori replied, since he was the only one who actually knew about all the business information, "We do, but the Sohma Corporation was set up independently. We don't even know who the president is. All we know is that it's been flourishing. We don't especially care about other people's business, but we really don't have any idea who is behind this Sohma Corporation."
Tohru frowned and asked again, "But wouldn't a new company require your stamp of acceptance?"
Hatori answered, "Yes. They would. And we allowed them to set up the company. The only thing is, this company has been growing fast, yet we've never even been inside the main building. We've never seen the president; all we've seen were figures, stock numbers, profits, and spendings. We don't want the company to get out of control and tarnish the Sohma name, so we're trying to set up an negotiation."
Ayame said, "I don't understand why we have to sit through an entire morning talking about…such boring stuff! And we're going to be late to Tohru's party!"
Tohru looked at the older man and immediately said, "Oh! Don't worry about that! If you want, we could always get together another day. I wouldn't want to diverse your attention from what's most important." Tohru had the idea of all the members of the zodiac getting together, since they rarely had the chance because of school, work, etc.
Shigure piped in, "No, no my dear flower! We shall go no matter what!" he said dramatically and continued a little more seriously, "We were just planning to make the company change its name if it went out of control."
Tohru stood thoughtfully for a moment. It was amazing how the Sohma family conducted themselves. Tohru didn't think herself to ever able to be like the Sohma family. They cared for others, and their thoughts were never tangled with money. Tohru looked to them as idols. So she always tried to help out, never realizing that her presence comforted so many.
Tohru then suddenly realized that there was still a breakfast to make, so she screamed an 'Oh!', which caused the three members of the table to jump, and she hurried back to the stove. Shigure and Ayame smiled at the girl's actions before going back to talk with Hatori about the meeting.
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Ayame suddenly asked, "This president, whoever he is, hasn't he only been working for a month?"
Hatori replied, "If you had listened, you would've known that he got sponsors during his trip in America. He started the company there, or at least the connections. But it wasn't until he came back that he had full control of the company."
Shigure asked, "But he isn't the only owner. Right?"
Hatori answered, "No, I don't think so. Each floor of his building is a different unit. They each specialize in a different area. He has appointed different co-presidents in the different floors."
"Splitting up the power among individuals. All he needs now is balance between the different individuals, making sure that no one was too strong and no one is too weak. Like making clothes, making sure that the colors balance so that the piece of clothing will seem favorable to the wearer." Ayame commented in his unusually phases of seriousness.
"Splitting up power, isn't that what we're doing?" Shigure asked.
"Maybe if Akito had done that, he wouldn't have left." Hatori said solemnly.
"It's been a year since we last saw him right?" Shigure asked, knowing that it was true.
"Didn't he say that he'd be back in a year?" Ayame asked hopefully.
Hatori replied, "He's not a young boy anymore Ayame, we can't make Yuki's decisions for him."
Hatori nodded as Ayame returned to his usual attitude and began joking with Shigure. Hatori annoyed the two and focused on driving.
When the got out of the car, and walked into the entrance, Ayame and Shigure gaped at the building, or buildings in front of them. They had entered on what looked like a tip of a huge triangle. It was like an apartment complex, three building standing in a triangle. "The idea of unity and togetherness," commented Shigure. All three were surprised at the president's air. The structure of the buildings and the way they stood seems inviting and peaceful. The triangular yard formed by the buildings was big and natural. The flowers and trees seem to fit in perfectly with the surroundings. The buildings had different amount of floors.
The three adults walked into the tallest one, which faced the entrance of the yard. They took the elevator and quickly got to the floor that they needed. They exited the elevator and looked around the huge room. It seemed as if the whole floor was dedicated to the presidents. They stood in a massive room that was circular. It had doors along the walls, which the three men guess to be rooms reserved for meetings and offices, etc. There was a desk besides each door that had high tech computers and a phone. At each desk, sat a person who Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure guessed were secretaries. The three gazed in awe. They walked to the secretary's desk that was besides a mahogany door, which was opposite the elevator door.
Hatori said, "We're here for a meeting with the president." It sounded odd for some reason, because they still didn't know the president's name.
The secretary cocked his head and looked at a planner that was besides the phone, he asked, "Are you Hatori, Ayame, and Shigure Sohma? The head of the Sohma family?"
Hatori answered with a quick nod and the secretary smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've always wanted to meet my family heads."
Shigure was surprised, was this also a Sohma? One look at the nameplate on the man's desk answered him.
"I'm a little far out in the family. It's such a huge family, I doubt that anyone would be able to list all the members." The secretary continued on.
Ayame nodded and humored the man with a smile. He asked, "I'm sorry, but we have another meeting to go to after this one."
The secretary immediately smiled again and apologized, "I'm sorry. Here I am, blabbering away in front of the most important members of the family. Although, my boss might be pretty important too." The secretary looked at the three men and apologized again before pressing a button on the phone and saying, "Excuse me, Sohma-kun, but the heads of the Sohma family is here. Should I send them in?"
The three listened; there was an audible sharp intake of breath from the other side. Did the president not want to see them? Then the president spoke, "Send them in." The voice was barely audible; there was something familiar with that voice. They've heard it before, all three adults.
The secretary smiled, said a "yes sir" and led the three Sohmas to the big mahogany door. Before he opened the door though, Hatori asked, "I'm sorry, but what is his name?"
The secretary's smile dropped and he frowned, "You don't know his name?"
"That's what he just asked for isn't it?" Shigure replied, he was getting tired of the suspense.
"But…the company's soaring. He's been in numerous papers under the business section." The secretary was incredulous.
"We've been busy." Ayame replied, truth was, he didn't have any interest in the business section in any newspaper.
"I apologize. It wasn't my place to question the heads of the family." The secretary smiled again and said as he opened the door, "His name is Yuki, Yuki Sohma."
Ayame and Shigure gasped as Hatori stood looking bewildered at the young man behind the door. He was sitting at a mahogany desk looking at the computer. His room had been decorated with the red paper along the ceiling. The red paper has been cut into the zodiac animals; these animals ran around the room. The room also had other features; a sofa with two big chairs surrounding a glass coffee table, a closet that stood at one end of the room, etc. Behind the young man with gray hair, there was also a balcony, which overlooked what looked like an amazing view. The president's eye lifted up and looked at the three men that had entered his office. He looked at his secretary and said, "You may go back to work. It is best that we are not disturbed."
The secretary nodded and left the room and closed the door. The room seemed to be filled with tension and no one dared to speak a word.
Hatori was the first one to speak, he said, "Surprised us once again."
Yuki smiled, "I'll never be prepared enough to know what to say to a person that a barely had contact with for the past two and a half years."
Ayame looked at his younger brother and smiled, "You came back."
Yuki shifted his gaze to his older brother and said, "I said I would didn't I? Although…this does surprise me. Why are you three-"
"The heads of the Sohma family?" Shigure finished, he explained, "Akito's changed. He's become more carefree."
Yuki raised his eyebrows. Sensing that Yuki didn't understand, Hatori continued the explanation, "He's fallen in love, or at least he understands now what it's like to be in love."
Yuki seem to stare into space, he didn't understand still, "Really? Who?"
"Saki Hanajima." Ayame answered.
Yuki thought to the dark haired girl who he went to high school with. The girl who always wore black and could sense waves, the girl who was her best friend. Creepy and scary, seems like a perfect match. Yuki thought.
"That still doesn't explain you three being the heads of the Sohma family." Yuki said.
"Akito said that he wanted to pass the power to us. He said that h takes back all his threats, to the members of the zodiac, every member." Ayame said examining his brother to see if there would be a change in his reaction.
Yuki knew that they were studying him yet again, but he wasn't going to show the excitement that he felt inside, "Guess that stupid cat can finally be part of the family."
Shigure smiled, "Yes. Kagura was especially glad."
Yuki raised his eyebrows again, "Was she?"
"Yes. Now they can go out without Akito bothering them." Ayame said smiling.
Yuki frowned again, Kagura going out with Kyo? "I see that cat has finally decided to stop tormenting Kagura." Yuki said.
"More like, Kyo has let Kagura stop torturing him." Shigure said smiling.
Yuki smiled, a picture of Kyo being tormented by Kagura flashed in his head. Kagura had a violent temper, but she loved Kyo and that was what mattered. After two and a half years of closing himself off to love, Yuki could only feel happy for others. His heart still ached at the thought of Tohru, but he didn't know if he had the strength to allow himself to be vulnerable again.
Suddenly, the door burst open and Kureno came in holding a packet, "Hey Yuki, thought you should know that your line is broken." He then looked at the three men who were sitting and looked embarrassed, "Um…should I not have barged in here?"
"Kureno?" Shigure asked as if not sure of his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Ayame asked.
"I…um…work here." Kureno answered looking at Yuki for help.
"For how long?" Shigure asked.
"A week." Kureno answered.
"And you've never told us that Yuki was here?" Ayame asked.
"Um…you see…well, that is…" Kureno was cut off because another person strode in the door.
Ritsu looked around the room and began apologizing, "AH! I'M SORRY YUKI! I didn't know that you had guests!" then upon closer inspection, he continued, "Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't know that the heads of the family were here! I'm so sorry for being disrespect-" he was cut off as he fainted to the floor because of Shigure's famous punch to the side for 'justice'.
"Ritsu and Kureno?" Ayame asked turning to his brother.
Yuki shrugged. He got up and walked to the door, after closing it, he motioned Kureno and Ritsu (who had gotten up) to sit. He said, "You two might was well stay."
They talked for about five minutes on business, since there weren't really anything to talk about because Yuki had the same concerns as Hatori.
"I suppose this meeting wasn't really necessary. You could've just come home and told us that you were the president." Shigure complained.
Yuki smiled a little and shrugged, he had wanted to go home, but going home meant seeing her, and becoming vulnerable again.
"We should go. We'll be early for Tohru's party." Ayame said looking at his brother.
Tohru…Yuki controlled himself and showed no expressions. But his thoughts wandered back to the time that he's spent with her. He was snapped out of his daydream by Ritsu's excessive apologies. "NO! I'm so sorry that's I almost forgot about Tohru's party! I'm so sorry!" Ritsu's yells deserved another punch in the side, which Shigure happily gave.
Kureno shook his head and looked at Yuki asking, "Are you coming too?"
The three older men looked at Yuki also, he didn't know what to say. Ayame smiled brightly and said, "Of course he's coming. Otherwise, he'll miss his older brother too much!" Ayame said walking to give Yuki a hug, which he replied with a smack on Ayame's head.
"I don't think that's the reason." Kureno said laughing at the sight.
"Let's go." Hatori said after Ritsu woke up.
Yuki nodded. He was going to see her again…what will she be like? He had changed over these two and a half years since he left the Sohmas…has she changed too?
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Chapter eight finished!
Once again…I would like to thank my reviewers! Thanks so much!
Oh lala…Yuki's going to see Tohru again…what's going to happen? Please read and find out! I'm going to try to finish this story with fifteen or less chapters…but I'm not sure…should I start another story? Review please!