It had been nearly a week after the memorable New Year's Eve, and Yukina still have not woken up from her coma yet. Every day, Hatori will attend diligently to her, wiping her face, arranging her body in a comfortable position, and so on. Even when he was at his clinic, he would constantly worry about Yukina, wondering if she had shown any signs of waking up.
Besides that, Akito, who had hated Yukina before, came to visit her once in a while, praying that she will wake up, for she had an instinct that Yukina's power was the key to lift the curse from all the affected Soumas. On the other hand, the others too were worried about Yukina's condition, but they did not know how to help her.
On the seventh day Yukina lost her consciousness, they had almost given up hope that she would ever wake up in the near future. Hatori was beginning to lose hope too, but he continued praying and attending to Yukina, and slept with her every night.
It was afternoon, Kyou was lingering around the house with Haru and Shigure; Yuki was upstairs doing his revising in Hatori's room while keeping an eye on Yukina; Tohru went to Hana's house to visit her; while Hatori was busy at the clinic. Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door, and Kyou, thinking that it was Tohru, went to open the door, while wondering why she got back so early.
Then, he had a great shock when he found out that the person standing in front of him was not Tohru, but his martial arts master and father figure – Kazuma Souma. The man of about forty with grey hair smiled warmly at him and opened his mouth.
"It has been quite a while, Kyou. Now, what was the matter you were summoning me so urgently for?" he inquired curiously.
Kyou could not hide his joy at seeing Kazuma, and clasped his hands. "Welcome, master…"
The old man reached out a hand and patted Kyou's head fondly. "You should not address me like that any more. I have a feeling that many incidents have happened here, would you tell me about it?"
Kyou nodded and invited Kazuma to the living room. There, he was greeted enthusiastically by both Haru and Shigure. The latter then began to relate everything he could remember to the older Souma. All the while, Kazuma listened attentively, but his expression changed slightly when Shigure mentioned Yukina's name.
However, he patiently waited until Shigure finished before asking earnestly, "The girl who was Akito's slave and later was founded by Hatori…what was her full name?"
Shigure detected something amiss, and replied, "Her full name is Yukina-Rei Jia, although we normally just call her Yukina-chan…why?"
Now, everybody could see that Kazuma was obviously flustered, which was extremely unusual for the old man.
"Where is she now? I…I want to see her immediately!" he demanded urgently.
Shigure gave him an odd look. "Yukina-chan is still unconscious, that's why we sent for you, for we hope that you might be able to call her back somehow. Hatori-kun would be heart-broken if even you could not do it," he added the last sentence with a wicked grin. "If you want to have a look at Yukina-chan, follow me."
Then, Shigure led Kazuma to the room Yuki and Yukina was in that time, followed by Kyou and Haru, who were interested to know what made their master so anxious and impatient to see Yukina.
Before going in, Shigure knocked at the door, knowing that Yuki was inside. Without waiting for his consent, he pushed the door open, and gestured towards Yukina, who was lying on a bed moved there for her.
Yuki was startled as he recognised his master, for he had not expected him to come. However, even more shocked was Kazuma himself. Astonishment and disbelief registered on his face, followed by an expression of pain and regret. He walked towards the bed and looked tenderly at Yukina.
"After so many years, you still look the same, Yukina-chan…"
Everyone in the room was astounded. "Master…you know her?" Kyou asked with amazement.
Reluctantly, Kazuma tore his eyes away from Yukina to look at all of them. "It's a very long story, and I desire for Hatori and Akito to be here while I tell you something that happened about thirty years in the past, which had some connection with the reason that I had never married until now."
The rest of the Soumas were impatient to hear what Kazuma got to tell them, but they knew that he would not start the story unless the audience he desired was present. Shigure went to phone Akito while Yuki contacted Hatori, telling both of them to come back as soon as possible.
On the second story of the house, and unknown to everyone else, Yukina was trying to pursue the voice she heard earlier in her mind.
"Who are you…the person that spoke to me in my mind just now? I…I must find a way to remember you…although I don't know why…but it's very important…very…" she thought desperately. To her joy, the voice came again.
"It's not necessary to remember who I am now, Althena."
"Althena…is that what 'A' in my card stands for?"
"Yes…or you prefer to be called 'Yukina' instead?" the voice sounded amused.
"It does not make any difference which name you address me by, as long as I know that you are calling me…would you tell me who you are?"
"Now it's not the time yet…You have to be patient…please do it for me…Althena. I know you are able to do it…and please have faith in me, like I have faith in you…" the voice was tender and loving, and Yukina felt comforted.
"But…why? I think…we were very close before I forgot everything…right?" Yukina asked hesitatingly.
"Yes, Althena…I miss you too…and I promise to help you remember everything… when it's finally time for us to meet…you have waited for so long, just wait for…another few months, okay? Then, you can finally come back to where you belong…"
"I'm unwilling to wait…but because you asked me to, I will, no matter how painful it is for me, and no matter how much I suffered…" Yukina said softly, tears flowing down her cheek.
"Thank you Althena…I know that you are strong enough…Besides, there is somebody on Earth, who loves you, though not in the same way I do…and I know you have deep feelings for him too," the mysterious man sounded like he was smirking.
"You mean…Hatori?" Yukina asked timidly.
"Yes…but don't overthink it…whatever might happen between the two of you would already be predestined," the man sighed.
Yukina's eyes widened at this and she blushed deep red. "Eh?"
"Really…Althena…that's absolutely normal…but I need you to settle the person called Yuki…his feelings for you are deep too, but not as deep as Hatori's. That's why it should be easier to solve…"
"Huh…Yuki-kun has feelings for me too? But, we are just friends…" Yukina wondered if the person had misunderstood their relationship.
"I am sure that Yuki loves you too…but he is not matured, nor strong enough to withstand the pressure to get in a relationship with you…"
"Okay…I will try to make it clear to him subtly…" Yukina promised.
"I'm sorry…I have no choice but to go now…I can't be here for too long…be patient, my dear…and you should go back too…all of them are extremely worried about you…" he sounded resolute and urgent at the same time.
"Yes…" Yukina obeyed him without any resistance, and she sucked a deep breath and whispered, "Please take care of yourself well, although I still can't remember who you are…"
"I will, and you do the same too…till we meet then…and you will instinctively know me when we finally meet…" the voice faded away into nothing.
Slowly, Yukina opened her eyes to see that she was in her room, without anyone in sight. Needing some time to rest and think about what that happened just now, she closed her eyes and dozed off.
After about two hours, in which the rest of the Soumas at home were moving about restlessly, Hatori, Akito and Tohru had all rushed back to Shigure's house, eager to hear what Kazuma had to tell them. Then, everyone gathered in the living room and after taking a few sips from his tea, Kazuma started to narrate his story.
At the same time, Yukina heard the voices coming from downstairs, and she woke up, hurriedly wiping away the tears on her face for fear that others might notice and worry about her again. Silently, she made her way down the stairs, but stopped in mid-track when she saw a stranger in the midst of the Soumas and Tohru. No one noticed that she hid on the other side of the wall, having an instinct that the story is significant, and listening to it attentively.
"When I was small, the adults used to tell me this story. About one hundred years ago, the leader of the Souma clan was approached by a young man, who claimed to have come from the sky. He held a young girl in his arms, and entrusted everyone from the Souma family to take care of her. Before he left, he cast a spell on the girl, making her to always live between the ages from about fifteen to twenty five, and locked away her memories with him. His reason for doing this was that he hoped to make the girl's temporary stay at Earth as happy and delightful as possible, without worrying and thinking about him all the time."
At this point, Haru interrupted, "Why would the young man leave the girl here when he obviously loves her very much? And, who is that young man and that girl?"
Kazuma took another sip from his glass and continued, "The young man did not give us his name, but that is not quite relevant. On the other hand, the girl he left for us to take care of is none other than Yukina-chan. Oh, I forgot to mention that Yukina-chan's memories will kind of 'reset' themselves after she reaches twenty-five, and she would 'sleep' for a while and wake up as a fifteen year old again. When that happens, any one from the Souma would have to be extremely careful to take care of her properly and not lose her."
"The Souma family had handled the duty gave to us by the young man well in the first seven decades. There was an unspoken law in the family against falling in love with the young girl, however attractive and lovable she might be, because the person would be hurt when she 'reincarnates' like a phoenix, leaving their memories behind. Of course, it was not her fault that she did this; it was the young man's way of protecting her and ensuring her happiness. However, when she was passed to my generation, the adults were quite lax with taking care of Yukina-chan, and being the innocent, unaware teenager I was, I fell in love with her immediately."
On the other side of the wall, Yukina listened on to the partial narration of her forgotten past, heart growing heavy and heavier with each sentence said by Kazuma. She thought to herself, "Why am I so weak…that everyone has to protect me?" She knew instinctively that the 'young man' in the story must be the same person talking to her in her mind just now.
Here, the teenagers shuffled uncomfortably, expecting something bad to happen in the story. Kazuma heaved a deep breath and continued, "We had a great time together, having fun all the time, going on dates and so on. However, once when we went on a vacation together, she got kidnapped and however relentlessly we searched for her, we never found her. I imagine that our ancestors were very angry, for this generation of the Soumas had not fulfilled their vow and duty to protect Yukina-chan. Since that tragic day, my grandfather was cursed by the vengeful cat spirit, and another spirit appeared before him, saying that twelve people from the next generation of the Souma clan would be cursed by each of the animals in the zodiac as punishment for allowing Yukina-chan to be kidnapped."
Kazuma paused here and looked around him. Everybody was quite heavy-hearted and the atmosphere in the room seemed to be covered with a cloud of gloom. Disregarding this fact, Kazuma went on with his narration.
"Being the hot-headed teenager I was, I put all the blame on my grandfather for not taking care of Yukina-chan properly, making me lose my love and so on. Besides, most of my cousins were married and some even having a child at that time. They were outraged at the fact that their children might be one of the cursed Soumas, just because this generation did not take care of Yukina-chan properly, and regrettably, they hated her deeply. However, there was a chance that we could lift the curse completely, and that is by retrieving Yukina-chan back to the family and ensuring that she is safe and sound until the young man comes to claim her back. Since then, I made a vow to myself, that I would not marry until I find Yukina-chan, for I was to be partly blamed too, as I should not fall in love with her in the first place."
The older Soumas accepted this story quite readily, as they were used to weird happenings. However, Kyou blurted out, "Master, do you mean that…Yukina-chan was the reason that we were cursed by the zodiac animals?"
To everybody's surprise, they heard a sudden sob from behind the wall. Guessing who it was immediately, Hatori leapt up from the couch and saw Yukina, crouching down there, crying her heart out. He quickly knelt beside her and held her in his arms.
He did not expect that Yukina would push him away, both hands covering her face now full of tears.
"I…I was the reason that all of you had to suffer so much pain and grief in the past…and you could not live like normal people…why…how could I hurt these innocent people in that way?" she cried in sorrow.
Kyou stood up and tried to explain. "Yukina-chan, I did not mean that you were the…I was just too surprised…it's completely not your fault that we were cursed…"
The others were talking to her at the same time. "It's not your fault…" "Please don't blame yourself…" Everyone was trying desperately to console the weeping girl in front of them.
Yukina was too distressed to listen to anybody, and she tore out of the house, running wildly without any specific direction. She just knew that she had to get herself as far away as possible from the Soumas, for she blamed herself entirely that they had to bear all the agony and sorrow as result of being cursed by the zodiac animals.
It took Hatori quite a moment to recover from his shock, and he went after Yukina at once. Yuki tried to go too, but he was held back by Shigure.
"I think only Hatori-kun is able to persuade Yukina-chan, Yuki," Shigure said gravely, knowing how much his words might hurt him.
Yuki's eyes flared, but he obeyed Shigure. Kazuma stared at them, needing some time to pull himself together.
"I see…I was not the only one to break the unspoken law then…" Kazuma chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation.
Outside, Yukina was running with all her might, very remorseful for harming the Soumas in that way. She ran and ran until she reached a nearby park, and stopped under a tree, totally out of breath. Easily, Hatori caught up with her, and pulled her close to him in silence.
"I'm sorry…Hatori…I did not deserve to be treated so well by everybody…I should be considered as the enemy of all Soumas…" Yukina struggled fruitlessly to get out of Hatori's arms.
Hatori was relieved to have caught up with Yukina, and was overjoyed to see her safe and well. Despite her struggling, he was able to seize her firmly in his arms. Slowly and gently, he took hold of her quivering chin in his long fingers, tilted her head up, and bent down to capture her lips.
Yukina was so startled that she forgot to struggle, and she gasped softly. With this, Hatori was able to ravish her lips, and his tongue slid deftly into her mouth, instantly setting both of their bodies aflame. All sanity was lost, as their tongues entangled with each other in a passionate, fiery kiss.
All of a sudden, Yukina realised that she should be running away from all the Soumas, Hatori included as she could not face the guilt. Again, she writhed in Hatori's strong grip, trying to escape. However, Hatori was unwilling to let her go again, and grasped her in a firm, unyielding hold.
He bent down and breathed into her ear, "Do you hate me so much, Yukina, that you can't bear the sight of me?"
Yukina looked up at him with a tear-streaked face. "No…you should be the one who hates me, Hatori. I was the one who forced you and Kana-san apart…and you weren't able to attend her wedding either…eh?"
She gasped once more; for Hatori had bent down further to kiss her on the neck, and had bit her gently, which sent an electric shock down her whole body.
"No…you are wrong. Because I separated from Kana, so I am able to accept you in my heart now. Did you forget, you were the one who told me that…as long as we can let go of the past, we are able to embrace the future…Besides, Kana is leading a happy life now…would you let me do the same, Yukina?" he whispered huskily.
"Do I have the ability to grant you the happiness you wish for, Hatori?" Yukina asked softly, clinging to Hatori quietly.
"I don't care…now, I just want you to stay by my side, and never leave me again, Yukina. I won't let you go anywhere out of my sight, not even to pursue the voice you heard just now…" Hatori muttered possessively and conquered Yukina's lips again.
Yukina gripped Hatori tighter; remembering the conversation she had with the mysterious person who would reclaim her to 'the place she belonged' soon.
"No…I can't give you false hope, Hatori…I can't be as selfish to do that when I'm still not sure where I was from, or what will happen from now on," Yukina looked up at him.
Then, she related the whole conversation with the mysterious man to Hatori, thinking that he would give up on her. To her surprise, Hatori just smirked and said:
"The person you were talking about…he did not tell you to leave me, right?"
Yukina stared at him and nodded wordlessly, wondering how he could be so calm after hearing her words.
"If he said that, then I am more than happy to wait…only if you would allow me to," Hatori said quite provocatively.
"But that would be unfair to you…I can't possibly risk hurting you again…" Yukina said quietly.
Hatori sighed, knowing that Yukina would not agree to his proposal right now. He laid his hand on her cheek and said:
"I think it would be better to discuss the matter after the man you told me about comes for you, Yukina. Now, we should go back, or else the others would be very worried about us."
Subsequently, he grasped Yukina's hand and led her firmly back to Shigure's house. There, everybody was waiting anxiously for their return, and looked eagerly at them, wondering what had happened out there between Hatori and Yukina.
Kazuma was the first to reach Hatori and Yukina, and he looked apprehensively at the latter, unsure whether she might still remember him.
"Yukina-chan…do you have any memories of me, however faint?" Kazuma asked.
Yukina frowned in concentration, looking at Kazuma, and to his disappointment, shook her head.
"I'm very sorry…Kazuma-san. I…I can't remember anything of the past…" Yukina apologised and bowed.
Kazuma smiled warmly at the girl in front of him and patted her head. "Its okay, Yukina-chan…In fact, I would be surprised if you did know me."
Despite his words, Hatori could see that Kazuma was clearly disappointed. However, he did not know how to cheer him up, so the three of them just walked into the house silently.
They were shocked to see that inside, Yuki and Kyou were fighting with each other, the former delivering blows swiftly and accurately. At the same time, Shigure, Tohru and Haru were trying to break them up in vain.
Immediately, Kazuma went over and took both of them effortlessly by the collars.
"What is going on here, Yuki, Kyou?" he asked with his eyes narrowed.
Yuki's eyes flared up. "This dim-witted cat here…he should not say things that might hurt Yukina-chan's feelings!"
Kyou turned red in the face. "I did not say that to hurt her, you idiot! I was just too surprised to know the truth behind the curse…"
Yukina ran over and stood in front of them.
"Please don't fight any more, Yuki-kun, Kyou-kun…I'm fine now, as you can see," and she forced a bright happy smile on her face.
The two stopped tussling around, and Kyou bowed to Yukina.
"I'm very sorry, Yukina-chan…it was never your fault that we had the curse in the first place…it was just an unlucky twist of events," he apologised.
"Please don't worry over it, Kyou-kun. I was startled myself too…and could not accept the fact, which filled me with guilt," Yukina said in a soothing voice. Abruptly, Hatori placed a question to Yuki.
"Yuki, when will school start?"
Surprised, the teenager answered, "In four days' time…"
Yukina heard that and noted it down. Then, she turned to look at Kazuma.
"Kazuma-san, did you say that the curse can be lifted after the family finds the girl…I mean me?" she asked with anticipation, hoping to release all of them from their long-lasting suffering.
Kazuma frowned. "That was what I heard from my grandfather…" and he glanced at the cursed Soumas in front of him. "Do you still feel the animal spirits inside your bodies?"
The others nodded silently, and Yukina wilted, not knowing how to help them even if they had finished their task of finding her once again.
"How…how can I lift the curse?" she asked quietly.
Kazuma pondered over this for a moment, and he first signalled to Shigure. Taking the hint, Shigure shooed Haru, Kyou, Yuki, Tohru upstairs, saying that they had something private to discuss, leaving only the grownups, which were Hatori, Ayame, Shigure, Kazuma, and Akito, as well as Yukina herself. Kazuma then replied Yukina's question.
"I think…maybe in the same way that you used your power on Hatori, Haru and Akito…just you need to expend a lot more power than you had, for we have thirteen cursed Soumas all together."
Hatori interrupted at this point. "I think we should all sit down and discuss this. Come on, Yukina," and he placed his arms around Yukina's shoulders to steer her to the couch. Then, he sat down and pulled Yukina to sit on his lap.
Everyone else was mystified to see his actions. Firstly, he did not call Yukina 'Yukina-chan' as usual, but just 'Yukina'. Furthermore, he seemed more strong-minded than before, and Shigure thought that he might have made up his mind about his feelings for Yukina.
Despite this, all of them followed Hatori to the living room, and sat down together. The first to speak was Yukina.
"Kazuma-san, do I have to lift the curse from everyone at once, or one by one?" she asked hesitatingly.
Kazuma cocked his head. "I think that…since they were all cursed at the same time, the curse can only be lifted if everyone related to the curse is present. However, do you think that you can be strong enough to do it, Yukina-chan?"
Yukina considered it for a while, and glanced at everybody. "I will try my best for everyone, no matter what happens…"
Hearing this, Hatori wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple, causing the girl to blush a deep red. Paying no attention to their actions, Kazuma continued calmly.
"I heard that you would be very weak after performing the act of healing on one person, so if we are to gather all thirteen Soumas together with the Akito, that makes it fourteen. If that is the case, your body as it is now might not be able to take it, and…there your life might be in danger, Yukina-chan…" he left the sentence hanging in mid-air, unsure of how to continue. A part of him wanted everyone to be free from the curse, and live happily after that; another part of him was unwilling to make the girl in front of him, who was also the person he loved before, sacrifice herself to lift the curse.
Unexpectedly, Yukina spoke again. "The curse had befallen the Soumas because of me, so I must be the one to lift it completely…for nobody else can do it. As soon as you can gather all the cursed Soumas, I will lift the curse from everyone, even if it takes my life," she said with an air of finality, eyes glowing.
Here, Akito interrupted, concerned. "But…it is too dangerous, Yukina-chan. We can't possibly allow you to endanger your life just because of…"
"Akito-san…all of you had led lives full of pain and grievance, and this is the least I can do to make it up to you, to let you lead happy lives in the future." She cut her words short.
Akito sighed, not knowing how to talk her out of this. She looked pleadingly at Shigure, who patted her hand soothingly but acted the opposite way of that she had hoped.
"If that is what you truly want, Yukina-chan, I will try to gather every one of the cursed Soumas at the main house on the Saturday after next, which is also the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar. This means that you have about two weeks to make your preparations," Shigure looked at Yukina, who nodded her approval.
Trying to cheer up the situation, Ayame clapped his hands and cheered. "Yukina-chan, you are so brave! My heart flutters just to think of it…" and his eyes shone brightly. Everyone else laughed at his antics, and forgot their troubles momentarily.
Then, he stood up, forcing Yukina to get up too, and both of them said their goodbyes to everyone else, who wished them a safe journey back. Subsequently, Akito, Ayame and Kazuma returned to their specific homes. Every person were happy and anxious at the same time – hoping that the Soumas might finally be released from the curse, but apprehensive whether it was correct to let Yukina shoulder the heavy burden of doing it.
