Chapter Nineteen

They were all, too, successful.

The night before the fated meeting each of the children poisoned their siblings food.

Upon the break of the next day all the children had died, not of poisoning but of being brutally slain by their parent.

The family became jubilant upon the news, for surely, their God would punish such a terrible sinner. They could never have guessed what would have happened next.

Incensed, the God summoned all of the family before him-

"Haru!"

Hatsuharu glanced up with only the faintest line between his eyebrows to betray his annoyance, "Yes?"

Yuki didn't notice as he held up the story he was studying, "This one mentions the box!"

"It does?" Kyo leaned over and read over the rat's shoulder much to his annoyance.

Haru's eyes drifted back to the book.

Incensed, the God summoned all of the family before him and declared them all corrupt.

One member of each family group was chosen to suffer the wrath of a God. The most evil and corrupt member, the original sire of the thirteen was doomed to absorb all the tainted deeds of the chosen until his very soul rotted. The chosen were -

"Would you stop that," Yuki narrowed his eyes at the cat, "It's annoying."

Kyo jerked away from the prince offended.

"You're a piece of work, you know that," Kyo snatched up the book he had been reading.

Yuki narrowed his eyes.

"I was just mentioning the content to Haru in case he wanted to read this story later," Yuki announced, "The story states that the box housed the souls of the zodiac."

"The souls?" Kyo lifted a brow as he examined the box.

"Yes," Yuki frowned, "For the gift they had to part of their souls into the box."

"So to break the curse we have to put the gift back into the box?" Kyo fingered the clasp, "Should I open it?"

"You haven't opened it yet?" Yuki put his book down and leaned over.

Kyo shook his head as his hands moved over the box.

"Open it," the rat ordered as he leaned forward in order to get a better view.

The cat swallowed and his hand moved to the clasp.

Haru set his book down without another thought and watched his boyfriend intently. He had not pressured the cat in anyway to open the mysterious box but he could not deny his intense curiosity about it's contents.

Kyo flicked the clasp open and flipped open the lid.

Nothing happened.

Everyone let out a breath of relief. They didn't instantly die and that was a good thing.

"What's in it?" Haru was the first to speak.

"Nothing," Kyo frowned and then reached into the box to finger some ornate carving, "There's something written here."

Yuki leaned even farther to try to see past the cat.

Something passed across the cat's red eyes, "

His eyes cleared and then he blinked, "I wonder what it says."

Yuki and Haru exchanged glances and reached for the box at the same time.

"Hey!" Kyo managed to keep his hold on the box, "It's mine!"

"Kyo," Haru paused and then turned to write down what had been said before he forgot.

"You …" Yuki also paused, should he tell him? Maybe it was better he didn't know. After all, they really didn't know what they were dealing with and this all could turn out very badly.

"Did something happen?" Kyo demanded.

"Yes, we are one step closer to breaking the curse." Haru studied the words he had written, "That box definitely belongs to you."

Rage spent, the God wept bitterly at having to be so cruel and gave up all his godlike attributes.

The God became a man and then with his last once of power he became one with the father of the doomed children.

Until the day when family acted like family, the family would be doomed and their God trapped in human flesh.

End Chapter

AN: Sorry fot the short chapter. Been working alot lately. Shrugs. The next update should be sooner. Michelle