(There are a few words in Japanese. Explanations are at the end.)

Curse of Each Season

A Specialist

Kasane Ted slid the front door closed, slamming it slightly. A shorter figure stood next to him.

"Let me thank you again for coming, It's an incredible favor, you have no idea..." Ted thanked him for the tenth time.

"It's fine. It's not as if I have a home to go back to or anything like that. You're forgetting that I'm a traveler. I have no problem stopping to save Teto's life."

"I'm just glad you happened to be passing through..." Mako stepped into the entryway to greet their visitor.

Momo stuck her head in the room as well. "Come in, I've prepared tea!"

X

Mako, Ted, and their guest sat around the Kotatsu in one of the many rooms of their house.

"It's been far too long since you've come to pass this side of the mountain. I can't even say how fortunate we are to have you here."

"It's fine!" The visitor said in an exaggerated fashion.

Ted looked startled for a moment, but collected himself. "So Ritsu, what have you been doing since you last came here?"

"I'm a traveler. Honestly, Ted, what did you think I had been doing?" Ritsu smirked, eying the plate of onigiri that Momo had set on the table.

"You can eat one if you'd like, Ritsu-sama..." Momo said shyly.

He immediately took one and started stuffing his mouth.

Mako smiled. "You're still the same as you were before, huh?"

Ristu nodded, before he chugged his cup of tea. "I've never changed. So, Ted, from what you've told me, Teto's finally inherited this family curse?"

"Yes," Ted frowned, with a fretful expression passing over his face. "This curse, 'Shiki Oriori no Noroi' or 'Curse of Each Season', has affected women in the Kasane family for as long as anyone can remember. It has been passed from generation to generation, and death for those who it affects is inevitable and slow," He paused, noticing worry in Ritsu's eyes. "But before death comes, the victim goes through a peculiar yearly cycle. Every season, they change, physically and emotionally. For example, during the hot summer months, Teto is happy and full of energy, due to Summer being the season of celebration. But now, in winter, she becomes the exact opposite. She is weak and near silent almost all of the time. Her body temperature even drops, so much so that even her breath is cold." Ted pulled out Teto's aged scroll and handed it to Ritsu.

He unrolled it, reading the first sentence aloud. "The Legend of the Seasons' Curse... this is your family's legend as to how you got cursed in the first place, right? Jeez, this scroll is ancient..." He fingered the tanned paper.

"According to this, the curse was cast upon our family by the Goddess of the seasons." Mako informed him.

"Ah, I see. The story's right here..." Ritsu read it to them.

"When our ancestors first settled on this side of the mountain, the daughter of Lord Kasane discovered an odd ability: the power to grow crops during any season, in any type of weather, even during the coldest months. Utilizing this ability to it's fullest, she planted crops through every season. It was an incredibly fortunate year for her family.

Although, as the year came to a close, Lord Kasane's daughter set out for a walk in the snowy forest. When she reached the deepest part, the Goddess of the seasons descended from the sky to punish the poor girl for her power.

'It is unnatural for crops to flourish in winter the way they have been. You have caused me rage and embarrassment, and you will suffer for it, by following each season's cycle and feeling their might for all time!'

So a curse was set upon her, and she instantly became one with winter. She fell into a silent sleep, and was found the next morning, frozen to death, buried under a hill of snow. Several years after, another woman in the Kasane family suffered from the same curse, and followed each season for a very long time, until a winter came when she was too weak to continue.

Forever after this, a woman from each generation of the Kasane family has fallen victim to the Curse of Each Season..."

"So, have you heard of any other curses like this? You've researched countless supernatural events, correct? You must know a way to cure it, Ritsu-sama!" Momo pleaded desperately.

Ritsu cleared his throat. "Before I can tell you anything I know, you've got to promise to believe everything I say, no matter how strange it seems. I'm a bit of an expert on this sort of... happening, but some of the things I might tell you could be a bit...controversial..."

Ted chuckled a bit, noticing that he had worded it pretty much the same way. "Ritsu, we believe in the curse that Teto has. We believe in goddesses. I don't think anything else you might inform us about would be surprising."

"Alright then, let me tell you what I think."


Well, I hope this chapter explained a bit more. Did anyone expect that the specialist was Ritsu? Just curious.

Most of this chapter was dialog, which I hope is alright. And I know you didn't see Teto in this either, but she'll be back next chapter, so bear with me.

There are a few unanswered questions still, I think, but everything will be discussed in the end. Thanks for reading! Tell me your thoughts in a review! Stay marvelous! ~Meimei

((Another note, added later: In this story, I said 'Kagamine' rather than 'Kasane' several times. I fixed it, don't worry. Maybe you didn't even notice if you read this story before that. Ah, I'm such a fool.))


Translations:

Kotatsu: a low wooden table covered by a blanket. A table top sits upon it, and there is usually a heat source underneath.

Onigiri: a rice ball.