Chapter 2
Kain summoned all seven Sohmas to the dining room, as she laid out a small line of masks. She then instructed that dinner will be ready shortly.
"But first, I must explain why you are all here," she said, "As you know, you seven, in which I only sent thirteen, are here for a wonderful prize. As you see here, you will win the prize, but on one condition… Stay here, wearing each mask you have."
Shigure asked, "One question: Why should we wear these? Is this some masquerade party?"
"You could say that, Shigure," Kain said, "But… But I have simply created these masks for you, as long as you are here. Our dinner today will be a full seven-course meal. One thing: IF you wear the mask, you must eat under it. That's the beauty of it."
She then presented each mask to the Sohmas. They all represent an animal in the Chinese Zodiac.
"Shigure, you shall wear the dog mask," she said to him, presenting Shigure with a light brown puppy mask.
She turned to Kagura and stated, "You, my dear, shall wear this cute pink mask."
She wore a pig mask, since she's the boar of the group.
Kagura looked at it and snapped, "I look good in pink, but it looks fat!"
"Momiji, this grey rabbit it for you, and Hatsuharu, I believe the black bull is perfect for you. Yuki gets this little white mouse mask, and then, Hatori… You get my best red dragon mask."
Hatori thought, "Does she know about the Sohma curse, or is she coincidental?"
Kain thought aloud, "I hear all… I know all… But I am not telling all."
She held up a calico cat mask and gave it to Kyo, "Here. This suits you, since you're one of the animals in your zodiac code."
Kyo shouted, "THIS THING? I refuse to wear this crappy mask!"
Kagura cried, "Me, neither!"
Yuki growled, "This is ridiculous!"
Shigure smiled, "Well, I don't find it fun, but it's most enjoyable."
Momiji liked it, as he put it on, "I'd say that it suits me fine."
Hatori asked Kain, "Excuse me, ma'am, but what is the purpose of these masks?"
"Well, starting at midnight, you seven will stay here and ring in the Chinese New Year. It's a little something I created, during my travels. I wanted to show more, but I cannot last longer here. When it's the 24th, I shall depart, for now. I cannot stay here, a second longer."
Momiji asked, "You're going to die?"
"No… But if I told you, I'd have to erase your memories."
Shigure then stated, "Then, what about our prize for showing up?"
"Ah, yes… The prize. Well-."
Kyo put his mask down and growled, "NO! Screw prizes! I'm not wearing this mask!"
Haru said, "Me, too. I couldn't breathe in a bull's mask."
Momiji smiled, "Haru… It's fine!"
Kagura snapped, "NO! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I'LL-! KYO!"
She strangled him and shouted, "PUT IT ON! PUT IT ON! PUT IT ON! NOW!"
"GET OFF ME, WOMAN!"
Kain shouted in echoes, "THAT IS ENOUGH!"
They all gasped in fear, as Kain shouted, "There will be NO fighting in this room!"
She then smirked, "But… in the event that occurs, take it outside; just leave your mask on."
She then stated:
"Should you last about a whole day in my home, while wearing masks, at all times, then you shall win my prize. It is, of course, a mystery. However, I left out one small addendum. And that is this: Should you remove the mask, no matter what hour, before Midnight on the 24th, you shall receive nothing! Of course, I am a generous woman. Should you give up or lose your mask, you shall only receive 500 Yen, for a train back home… and THAT'S IT!"
Kyo then thought, "If I leave… I'll be away from Kagura… but Yuki… he'll…"
He put his mask on and growled, "Fine. We'll play along."
Kagura shouted, "If he's staying, I'll do it, too!"
Everyone else put their masks on, as Shigure said, "If one of us leave, then we'd earn nothing. Suppose if more than one survives?"
Kain stated, "It really doesn't matter. One, two, or all seven of you… Should you survive, I guess there's always splitting it, down the middle. It's a simple game of survival; and not everyone can win it."
Haru then laughed, "This looks cool!"
Momiji smiled, "I told you!"
Everyone, except Yuki, was wearing a mask. He then thought, "This is what I have to go through, for some mystery prize that may not exist?"
He then felt embarrassed, as he had his mask on.
"This is embarrassing…" he sighed, "This, just to beat that stupid cat…"
Kyo snapped, covering in his mask, "Damn rat!"
Kain then left, as she rang the dinner bell.
"Dinner is served," she bowed, "This is all I can provide you. For this day alone, tomorrow, you're on your own. You can all sleep, eat, and be marry… but the masks stay on, at all times!"
Hatori asked, "Does that include showers or baths?"
"Yes," she nodded.
Shigure giggled, "You're smart…"
Kyo sighed, "24 hours of this… I cannot put up with it."
They all left to the dinner table.
Date: Jan. 23rd – Time: 12:20am – Kain's House
Everyone was asleep, as Kain peered through every room, feeling very curious.
"If what I hear is true… This could be big news," she said, wearing a rice ball mask.
She then giggled, "I figured I'd join in on the fun, as well… Too bad I cannot show it to them."
She went to her room and retired, "Ahh… This beats Miss Maynard's adventures."
To be continued…