Welcome, Welcome.
Well… Two words about the story you are going to read (hopefully). It is a Fairy Tale. Like all the Fairy Tales, this has no description and only dialogues, and sometimes the narrator talks.
There isn't a precise time; we are in ancient China, before the writing was invented. There isn't a precise place, either: the site is a spacious temple (Dian, in Pin Ying, a Chinese language) with a small village close to it. This story is born to explain what is the curse of the Souma Family and why they have it. Here you won't find Yuki or Kyo or Toru, but all these Souma resemble they "canon" character
Obviously the idea doesn't belong to me, but to Natsuki Takaya or anyone who has the rights for it.
Chapter 1
Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived thirteen priests in a spacious temple.
They were the thirteen priests of Jûnishi, and all of them were able to turn into a Jûnishi animal.
There was the Mouse, the Ox, the Tiger, the Hare, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Rooster, the Dog, the Wild Boar, and the Cat.
They lived together in peace and harmony; everyone had everyone was equal.
They were the Jûnishi-Sôma family members.
"Are you bored, Keng? You look at Firmament like you would like to be able to make the moon move faster in order to make your turn to end earlier."
The young man looked behind his back.
"No, Fu. I like the starry sky."
A snake came closer.
Fu was the snake of the Jûnishi. He was tall and slim, and loved to stay in his Jûnishi form…
"I understand you don't like to stay awake in middle of the night, but these are your hours," Replied the snake, crawling slowly.
"Why are you in your Jûnishi form?"
The snake just hissed.
Keng continued to look above his head.
"This hour is so calm, so filled with peace that looking at the sky on the balcony is a payment for all the day," the snake hissed.
"You could sleep, Fu. Your hour is in about 6 turns."
"You, black and white haired boy, would you succumb to sleep, with all what is going to happen, would you close your eyes after having finished your turn, without knowing if you will do another one?"
"Talking with animals isn't good for a man."
With a small sound, a man appeared in the place of the snake.
"Now what?" Fu, the snake, asked again.
"Yes. And don't lay your golden eyes over me. It makes me feel nervous
They stayed quiet for a while.
"The night is so quiescent… Have you ever had this feeling? As if the time never passes here, in the Jûnishi Dian; as if everything would be the same as now, forever."
"You look tired, Fu. You better go to sleep."
"No, crickets are so pleasant to hear, and staying into the Dian is worse; you could think laying my body over balustrade would be so pleasant… but a snake is a snake, after all"
"Stand up, white haired man. The railing isn't your bed. And my turn has just started."
"We always resemble our Jûnishi form, it is obvious, Keng: you look a little like the ox you are, even in your human shape."
Keng shrugged.
"What a Jûnishi Ji-Shi looks like is not important," Fu hissed.
"The others will come here, you know the rules: every Jûnishi Ji-Shi must to go to visit the Pi who is doing the turn."
"The rule is wrong."
"Maybe, but your turn is a nice one: under the stars and with all the Jûnishi asleep, so no child will harass you; and in the middle of the night there aren't so much probabilities someone calls you to be helped."
Keng continued to stare at sky.
"It can be boring, but there is a nice landscape. The entire park is so quiescent during the night. Look here, Fu. The moon is reflecting in the water. The dark blue of the sky is the one of the tins, too. Isn't it lovely?"
"Yes, it is; you are lucky to have the shed above your head: the full moon is almost as bright as the sun."
Keng nodded.
"It's better if you go, Fu. The others cannot come here. So stand up and go"
"Yes, you are right: it is better; have a good night, Ox"
"Goodnight, Snake"
§§
There was the small sound of doors opening.
The young man supported by the balustrade didn't turn.
"Who are you?" he asked, simply.
"Ah! Try to find out by yourself, Keng!"
"TU ZI?! Why are you doing here?! You are just a child. You have to rest during the night!"
"But all the Jûnishi must to go to visit you!" Cried the tiny voice. Keng turned his head.
"But not the children."
"Ehi! And the Rabbit?"
Keng turned all his body, to be in front of the child.
"No. Tu Zi, you have to rest"
"Well, it is impossible to fall asleep again, Brown-Eyed Ox!."
Tu Zi was the Rabbit of the Jûnishi. Or, better, he will be, because he was only a ten-years-old child …
"True. Stay here, Yellow Haired Bunny. But don't make noise! And don't scramble up the balustrade!"
"Too late, Keng! Eheheh! Why is your turn in the middle of the night? Nobody will come to ask help!"
"Because the world goes this way. Stop to knock the wooden wall with your tiny feet. This makes me nervous. And you could fall down."
A soft laugh, like silver bell, came from the little boy.
"It is at most my height; it is not a big fall, huh? How beautiful is the landscape at this hour! I have never, ever been out so late! Ne, ne! It is beautiful, isn't it?"
Keng sighed.
"Yes, it is. And there is a reason if you have never been out so late. You have just ten springs"
"But the Rabbit is the Rabbit if he has ten springs or thirty!"
"You are not a Rabbit. At most, you can be a Bunny. And don't make so much noise crying. It has no effects, Brown-Eyed child. And you are slim and short for your age. There is no way you can already act how the Jûnishi Ji Shi do."
"I don't want to wear this childish dress! I want to dress like a Jûnishi Ji Shi!"
Keng put his hand over Tu Zi's crying head.
"You cannot. 'You' are not important, Tu Zi! The Jûnishi is important. Until you understand that, you won't be a Jûnishi Ji Shi"
The child stopped to cry, staring thoughtfully at the landscape.
"Why do we have no name, Keng? Why can't we have something of our own? Why can't we get married?"
Keng stared at the young child.
"You don't exist. The Jûnishi exist," he repeated, like a mantra.
"But Da Wu Li always talks about 'himself'" He mumbled, softly.
(Da Wu Li…) Keng frowned.
"Da Wu Li makes mistakes. Don't stare at me like that, as if I'm a monster"
(All the children seems to think Da Wu Li is a hero)
"Go to bed, Tu Zi."
Without turning his head, Keng heard the sound of the door being closed and the noise of little feet going away.
The young Ox of the Jûnishi continued to stare at the sky blankly.
§§
"I knew you would be here, Keng."
"Hello, Gong Zhou."
"What has happened? Tu Zi was running inside the Dian."
Keng sighed.
"We argued about what means to be a Jûnishi."
"Da Wu Li?"
Keng turned his head: Gong Zhou was standing up, rigid, like usual.
"Yes."
Gong Zhou was the oldest of the Jûnishi. He was a very severe person. He never changed his mind, like the iron. About nothing…"That cat is a problem for everybody. He always talks about himself; he doesn't care about the Jûnishi!"
Keng looked at the sky.
"The landscape is very nice."
Gong Zhou shrugged.
"It is the same, every time."
"Yes…"
They kept staring at the sky, quietly.
"You are different from Fu."
"Stupid Snake. He doesn't understand the duty of a Jûnishi Ji Shi"
"Yes, he isn't like you. He came to see me because he wanted it."
Gong Zhou didn't reply.
Keng felt the Wild Boar turning iron.
"I am a Jûnishi Ji Shi."
"But you are nothing else." He mumbled, looking at stars, so brighten and so far.
Keng felt a hand grab his chen shan.
"You… You, little stupid Calf! You say I am nothing?!"
The face of Gong Zhou was totally changed - if before he was as sharpened as a knife, now he was as dark as the night, because he was the Wild Boar, and, as his Jûnishi Animal did, he lost his mind when he got angry…"YEAH! I said that!" Keng yelled, "And you are just a Pig! Good only for cutlets! You can even keep staring at me like that. You DO NOT SCARE ME!"
Even Keng had a double personality, he really was like the Ox…"You two,"
The door opened slowly and this distracted Keng and Gong Zhou.
"It is not a good moment to fight. And your turn is almost ended, Keng - go back to sleep." A small, shy voice came from the door.
"Lao Hu? What the hell are you doing here?! Don't you see I am fighting with the Pig?!"
A strong noise of something heavy hurled against the wooden wall, interrupting Keng.
Lao Hu sighed.
"Please, Wai Zu Su, enough…"
Another noise, similar to first one.
"NO! Please, Keng, Gong Zhou, don't turn into your Animals!"
"Why wouldn't we?! It's worthy to turn in the Wild Boar, to fight against this Calf!"
"And it's worthy for my Ox to fight with Cutlet, as well!"
Lao Hu looked at the two Zodiac Animals, who were fighting hard.
"And then what? Oh, please, stop! Or I'll need to call the other Jûnishi Ji Shi!"
At these words, both of them stopped.
"Humph," Keng mumbled, coming back to his human shape.
Gong Zhou stared at him, still keeping the form of a huge, wild boar.
"It is better to return home."
"He is gone," Lao Hu mumbled.
"Don't look so relieved. Why aren't you turning in your animal? You are the Tiger, you could easily stop a wild boar or an ox," Keng replied, returning to his normal post.
"Hurting people is bad… Don't look at me so angrily, please, Keng."
"How come you already have eighteen springs? You act in the same way as Xiong Ji."
Lao Hu was the Tiger of the Chinese Zodiac. But he was shy and sweet, and he hated to fight…""You are physically stronger than me, Keng. Your body is tall and hulking."
"Don't look at me with your golden-hazel eyes. It is your fault. You have never trained in martial arts."
"Hurting people is bad…"
"So don't say you don't fight because your body is weak."
They stayed quiescent, for a while.
"Your turn is ended, Keng… Maybe the best things you can do would be going to bed…"
Keng growled.
"Yea."
He was close to the door, when he turned his head.
"Why do we have no names, Lao Hu?" He asked.
The Tiger looked at him.
"Who knows? Perhaps Da Wu Li understood it."
Keng opened the doors and entered the Jûnishi Dian.
The night was still young.
Dictionary
Ji Shi: Priest
Pi: Peer
Why do we have no name, Keng?: this is since "my" ancient Souma have no names. Keng means "Ox", "Tu Zi" means "Rabbit", "Fu" means "Snake", etc.
Chen shan: kind of "shirt" used in ancient China.
Wai Zu Su: maternal grandfather. Gong Zhou (Literally "Wild Boar") is the father of Lao Hu's (literally "Tiger") mother.