Me: I'm back, my lovely reviewers :)
SWD: I'm surprised you actually bothered updating.
Me: I'd never upset my reviwers for too long. They get really mean and angry when I do that.
Angry Reviewers with Pitch Forks and Torches: YEAH. WE DO.
Me: O.O...
SWD: Angry Reviewers + Pitch Forks + Torches Death.
Me: YES... YES IT DOES...
SWD/Me: (glances at each other before glancing at mob of angry reviewers)
SWD: Crap... They're here for me too. I need to update a couple of stories...
Me: Well, in order to prolong our lives, I say we -
SWD: RUN FOR IT!!
Me: Exactly what I was gonna say
Angry Reviewers with Pitch Forks and Torhces: YOU TWO AREN'T GOING ANY WHERE (traps the authoress)
Me: (gulp) Well, might as well start the chapter...
SWD: ElementalGuardianProtector owns nothing but this story and her characters.
And: And a few broken bones and a trip to the hosptial.
Chapter Twenty Nine
"Talk? About what?" Tohru asked, confused. "About... The Sohma and Tsujitani Family Curses. About... Who I really am to the Juunishi. And to Akito." Rena replied quietly.
"Please sit down. This will take some time to explain. Hopefully... I will be able totell you a good proportion of the truth. Before my time is up."
Reluctantly, the teenagers sat down, forming a circle on the floor next to Rena. Hatori, Ayame, Shigure, and Shire stood, each leaning against the wall.
"It's... It's funally time... Isn't it... Inami?" Hatori whispered. "Inami?" Yuki raised a curious eybrow. "Bare with me. Allow me to start from the very beginning of our horrible curses. Back to before any of us where bound to a god. From there on... My own secrets will reveal themselves." Rena began.
(Bold Printed Italized Underlined words Fragment of a Flashback)
"Once, long ago, there was a lonely God who lived in the mountains. The God never caome down to greet people. One day, a cat climbed the moutain and asked if it could stay by his side." Rena started.
"The God was so happy and full of rapture that they had a party, and invited other animals. Every night, the animals gathered for a banquet, and they all had a good time and enjoyed themselves. Especially the God and the Cat. They had become best friends."
"But one day, the Cat fell ill, and was about to die. God was so upset about losing his best friend that her mad him and all the other animals make an oath to him: No matter how many times he and the animals had to be reborn, they had to promise that they'd always come back and join him at the banquets. Forever. And the Cat was the last one to make its oath."
"But after the Cat made it's oath, upon his death bed, it asked God why he made them do a such a thing. The Cat said that all things must come to an end. And God became angry."
"The other animals feared the God's anger and turned their backs on the Cat. Everyone became angry at the Cat for opposing them, and the Cat was forgotten, no longer a true member of their Juunishi."
"It died, feeling bitterness and loneliness.And that is where the Sohma Family Curse began. But at that time... The curse wasn't this complex. It was neither permanent nor strong. Still, the Juunishi animals were all reborn from the unstable curse."
"Itachi Sohma, the second Juunishi God, the Juunishi God of the next generation, owned a young servant girl, now almost a woman, named Inami Tsujitani. She had smooth chocolate brown skin, long wavy black hair that came down to her feet, and cream white eyes."
"She was a very powerful Light Sorceress. A very beautiful one, at that. When Itachi was very young, about seven years of age, the young God hand been faced with a couple."
"The couple, a newborn baby's parents, had found out that their daughter, their newborn daughter, was very... Different. How frightening it must have been for them to witness the newborn's extrodinary powers of Light. Normal peopel like them just couldn't cope with her."
"She was nothing but a freak to her. A pure freak from a horrible nightmare, no matter how cute she was. Just like Itachi. They saw the God as the Head of a freaky family of animals. So they threw the baby at his feet."
" They sold her to them. Like she was mere property. And they left without a regret. That is how the Juunishi God obtained his servant - The Slave of the Juunishi - The Chosen of the Tsujitani Family."
"When Inami became about seventeen and the curse began to weaken greatly, Itachi forced her to perfect the curse to where it would last forever, no matter how hard or painful the work would be."
"All of the Juunishi animals of this generation - The Dog, the Cat, the Rat, the Horse, the Boar, the Ram, the Ox, the Dragon, the Monkey, the Snake, the Rooster, the Tiger, and the Rabbit - all planned to go to the banquet God has arranged for them a few days later. Everyone, including the Cat, was invited."
"On the night of the banquet, The Rat, who highly disliked the Cat, lied and decived the Cat, telling it that the banquet was not that night, but the night following that one. And the Cat believed him."
"So while all the other animals went to the banquet and had fun... The Cat stayed at home all alone. And it only becaome more lonely, it's horrible spirit becoming more and more bitter."
"Not seeing the Cat at his banquet angered Itachi. Remembering what the Cat has said to him upon his death bed. Itachi believed that it was disobediance, insolence, and not to mention disrepect for the Cat to not show up."
"Itachi thought that the Cat had purposely decided not to show, and had broken its oath to him. His disobediance, defiance, insolence, and disrepect would not be tolerated."
"The friendship between the God and the Cat had been severed. It was gone. It had been broken to the poing where it could never be rebuilted or restored."
"For betraying him and breaking the oath, Itachi decided that the Cat must pay a terrible price. It needed to learn its lesson. And to know its place."
"The Cat has a rather vengeful spirit, I would imagine, does it not, Inami?" The Juunishi God asked his slave, his grey eyes flashing with hints of anger.
"Yes, Itachi Kami-sama, it does indeed. I can feel it. Why is it that you have asked?" Inami inquired. "It's about time we reveal that wretched furball's truest form to everyone including it, don't you think?" Itachi leered.
"Reveal the monster that Cat truly is. Make it suffer and make it miserable. Make it pay for betraying me and breaking our oath!" Itachi ordered.
"...Hai, Itachi Kami-sama..." Inami nodded reluctantly. "Oh, and Inami?" Itachi asked. "Yes?" I need to ask a flavor of you." Itachi looked Inami into her white eyes.
"I need you to promise me that you'll never betray me. That you'll never do anything to hurt or harm me in any way. That you'll remain loyal to me abd stay by my side as a friend and servant. Forever."
"...I promise I will, Itachi Kami-sama." Inami promsied. "...No... That's not... Good enough for me. You're the only one... Who can tolerate me." Itachi began.
"No matter what I did to you... No matter how much I hurt you, or said mean things to you, you always stayed be my side. You never once became angry at me for it or hated me."
"When I cried, you didn't get annoyed. When I make a fuss, you didn't get angry. You never hated me. You never... Abandoned me. You're my only... True friend, Inami."
"Make an oath to me. Swear that you won't ever betray me like that Cat has. That you'll... Stay be my side forever. And no matter how many times we have to be reborn... You'll always... ALWAYS... Come back to me and be both my friend and slave." Itachi commanded.
"...I swear to you, Itachi Kami-sama, that I will. I will always be your friend and the Slave of the Juunishi. I'll always come back to you, no matter how many times it have to be reborn. And I will never... EVER do anthing to betray or hurt you." Inami swore.
"Never, my God. I swear to you."
"Immediantly, Inami knew what to do. First, she made a magical enchanted braclet out of human bones that came from priests and priestesses. The braclet was in a 'red white red white' pattern."
"The red beads has been clored with the priests' and priestesses' blood, the blook being so thick and drak that the beads appeared to be black. The blood was pure, indelible blood."
"This ought to be enough. When worse comes to worse... I will give this to the Cat, if necessary." INami murmured, admiring her handiwork.
"Ever since the Cat has opposed the other animals and God, it had been confined. So Inami next stopped at the Cat's confinement area. Unfortunately, the second Cat of the Juunsihi has an attitude a lot like yours, Kyo."
"What are you doing here, SLAVE GIRL? What business could you possibly have here?" The Cat sneered, watching Inami open the door, walking into the small room, closing the door after her.
"Because they were all animals, they spoke a special language to communicate with each other that humans couldn't understand. However, since Inami was the Slave of this Juunishi, and Itachi was the God, they were the only two who could undersand the Language of the Juunishi Animals. And the Juunishi animals could understand them." Rena explained.
You shouldn't say things like that to me, Cat." Inami said quietly, sitting down in front of the Cat. "Cat... You have been opposing... Very opposing... Towards God and the other Juunishi animals lately. You did not attend God's banquet."
"Now the Cat had not known the banquet was actually that night, and realized the Rat had tricked him. The Cat was angry at the Rat, and his anger is what made the Cat respond with such carelessness."
"So what if I have been 'very opposing'? It's not like anyone cares what I think or feel! If they did, I wouldn't be in confinement, now would I? I would still be an offical part of the Juunishi if they did!" the Cat began retorting.
"Maybe I just don't feel like going to a banquet for God by force for the rest of my live, and then be reborn and do it all over again for an eternity! All things must come to an end sooner or later! Things must go on and change! God can't make us stay like this forever!"
"I'll break this stupid curse! I'll break myself free! Tha tway, on one can reject me and keep me licked up in confinement! That way, I'll finally be free! And they'll have to respect me then!"
"Cat, you're going about this all wrong. We all wish to be free from our curse and bounds. No one wants to live the same way forever. No one wants to live in fear and regret and sorrow for an eternity. But... We have to." Inami began.
"We just have to, Cat. I fear something even more than those bad feelings or living in an unchanging world. What I fear more then anything is... I fear to leave him all alone again."
"Itachi Kami-sama... He is afraid of change. That is why he made us stay this way. He doesn't want change, he doesn't want to be alone. I fear to leave Itachi Kami-sama all alone."
"I also fear what would happen to you or the others if any one of you tried to break this curse. Itachi Kami-sama doiesn't see this as a curse - He sees it as a bond."
"You have been confined, Cat. He will NEVER let you out again. Now, you're not even allowed to ATTEND the banquets. You... You fight so hard for your freedom... And for respect.."
"You struggle so much to escape this fate bestowed upon us. So you.. You leave me no other choice but to... To do what I was ordered to do." Inami murmured.
"God... Itachi Kami-sama... He ordered me this to you, so I must. I fear him. We all fear him. Well, everyone but seemingly you..." Inami whispered, taking the Cat into her arms.
"I... I must put the fear of God into you. It's... The only way. Cat... To live is to fear, To fear is to live. To be fearless is to die. And to die is to be fearless." Inami told the Cat, stroking its fur.
"How I wish... How I wish I could be as brave and fearless as you, dear Cat." Inami muttered before a sudden bright light began to surrond her and the Cat.
"Wha - What are you doing?!" the Cat cried. "Let me go! NOW!" "Please, Cat. Don't... Don't blame him. Don't blame Itachi Kami-sama. It will only make your spirit more vengeful. So please... Don't." Inami reasoned.
"Blame me instead. This is my doing, my fault. My name, Cat. My name is Inami Tsujitani. Don't forget it. Because when you need someone to blame your pain on so that you can believe it's not your fault... Someone blame so that you can carry on..."
"Don't blame God. God didn't do this to you. I did. Blame me. My name is Inami Subaru Tsujitani. And I am the woman who cursed you with the Vengeful Spirit of the Cat." Inami said softly before the room was filled with light.
Rena stopped, looking up to see Kyo's horrified expression. "You... You did this to me? You're the reason why... Why I'm this way?" Kyo whispered.
"You were cursed by Inami Subaru Tsujitani. Her blood runs through my veins. Her soul is one with my soul inside of my body. And I am her reincarnation. Does that not make her and I the same peron?" Rena asked.
"You... You bastard!" Kyo lunged for Rena out of blind rage, pinning her down to the ground and wrapping his hands around her throat. You...!! You're the one! I'll... I'll kill you! You knew about this! You... You turned me into a monster!" Kyo blarred.
"You're the reason... I'm so different from the others! You're the reason... I'm a monster! You!! It's not my fault! It's yours! All of the people I've hurt... All of the poeple that hurt me... You planned it! You cursed me!"
"Are you satisfied? Are you happy that I'm a freak? A monster? Is that all you saw in me from the very beginning. Was I just a toy to you? DIdn't you care what happened to me? DIdn't you care at all?!"
"...No... Of course not. You're cruel. And sick. You disgust me. You could never truly care about anyone butyourslef. That's why you cursed me. It's because... You didn't care."
"You didn't care if I suffered. You didn't care if I was in pain. All you cared about was pleasing and listening to a God, my so-called best friend, and making sure you stayed out of trouble with him!"
"You shouldn't be afrad of him. You shouldn't be afraid of Akito. Because you'll be long gone before they can do a single thing. Because I'll kill you, here and now!" Kyo grasp around Rena's neck tightened.
"I hate you. I hate you so mcuh. This is all your fault. All our fault!! I despise you. I loathe you. And you're gonna die. You'll die, and that still won't satisfy me."
"I want to make yo u suffer for this. I want to make you bleed. I want to hurt you badly, and make you cry. I want bad things to happen to you. Just like they've happened to me."
"Rena... How could you.. How could you do that to me? How? Do toy have no heart? I... I won't forgive you... I will never forgive you! Not even in a million years!"
Rena felt Kyo's hands begin to cut off her breathing. She was suffocationg. But she didn't do anything. She laid there and took it.
"I deserve this." Rena told herself. "I did a horrible thing to Kyo-kun all those years ago... two thousand years ago... So I deserve to die by his hands."
"Even if this won't help any... Even if it means the whole world will die because Kyo killed me and not Tohru... Even if the Tsujitani Family will be reborn, and the Tsujitani curse and Sohma Family Curse will contine... I still deserve to die. It... It is only appropiate that I die by his hands and his hands alone."
"Kyo, that's enough! You'll really kill her!" Ayame stepped in. "Do you think I'm stupid or something?! That's what I'm trying to do! And for what?" Kyo looked down at Rena.
Her eyes held no emotion.
They were still cold and stoic and empty.
They where merely icy black orbs.
No life to them at all.
"She's not afraid to die." Kyo realized. "She's not ready to die, but... She's not afraid. She... Rena... You... You want me to kill you... Don't you?"
"You want to die by my hands. You feel that it is the right punishment, even if it will noy satisfy or resolve anyone or anything in the long run. Your eyes hold no emotion."
"Rena... Now that I think about it... This isn't the first time your eyes have been like this. They're always like this. Only... When you smile or pretend to be happy... You cover it up well. And no one seems to notice. I think... Somewhere inside... You died. A very long time ago."
"Rena... Were you ever truly alive? Have you ever lived? Or have you really been dead, all this time? Is your weak, pathetic spirit... Broken? Are you... 'dead'?"
"Kyo! I said that's enough!" Ayame yelled at the Cat. "No. I still... Istill want to kill her. I;m still gonna kil her. She wants me to kill her anyway. That's why she's not resisting." Kyo replied.
"Kyo-kun, stop it! Don't hurt Rena-chan! Please! Onegai!" Tohru reasoned. "Didn't you hear what she said, Tohru? Are you deaf? She cursed me with the Vengeful Spirit of the Cat. She's the one to blame for everything. So then why... Why are you protecting her?!" Kyo demanded.
"Kyo, not now. You can't kill her. You're being an idot again. Tsujitani-san said Inami-san cursed you. Tsujitani-san is not Inami-san Tsujitani-san is Tsujitani-san. She's no one but herself." Yuki said in Rena's defense.
"Tsujitani-san coudn't have stopped Inami-san. Tsujitani-san wasn't born for another 3, 000 years. It's not her fault. She's not the one to blame. You can't blame her for something she can't control. Just like no one can blame you for being the Cat of the Juunishi."
"Yeah, but she ALSO said she is Inami! She and Inami have become one! So by killing Rena... I can kill Inami too!" Kyo retorted.
"That doesn't make any sense at all, you idiot! You can't kill Tsujitani-san! You can sacrifice Tsujitani-san just to get back at Inami-san! Tsujitani-san doesn't deserve it! She didn't do it! Don't you ever think about anyone but yourself, you ignorant Cat?!" Yuki yelle dat Kyo.
"Apparantly Inami didn't!" Kyo yelled back with anger boiling to a point where it surpirsed even Yuki. "Don't start with me now , Yuki. Not now. Because at this moment... I KNOW I can take you down! And KILL you, if I have to!" Kyo growled.
"Kyo, I'm warning you right now to calm down and stop. Don't make me do something you'll regret." Ayame threatened, gritting his teeth.
"I'll do whatever the hell I want to! I'll be damned if I'll listen to YOU! I'm not afraid - "
Ayame lunged at Kyo, punching him across his face, not breaking a sweat, without even trying. And surprisingly... Ayame's careless and half hearted punch... Was far stronger than Yuki at his maximum strength. And Kyo was sent flying across the room.
"You have to realize, Kyo... I can hurt you. I've I wanted to, I could've killed you in a single blow. I'm not the Ayame you know of this time. I won't hesistate to hit you if I absolutely must." Ayame glared at the Cat.
"You're lucky I only wanted to get you away from Rena. I didn't even hit you hard. ("What the hell do you mean you didn't hit me hard?" Kyo muttered, rubbing his cheek) I could've shattered you jaw, if I hit you with ONE FOURTH of my full strength."
"I can end you life now, at age seventeen. Is that what you want? Them n listen to me and don;t be so damn ignorant!"
Kyo was shocked to see Ayame like this. Not even Yuki could've hit him one fourth as hard as Ayame just did.
"What... The hell?" Kyo sat up, still rubbing his red cheek. "Ayame... Tends to get that way sometimes. He's... Very powerful, if you didn't notice, Kyo. When Ayame is that way... You can see the resemblance between him and Yuki clearly, can't you?" Hatori spoke up.
"He's right... The things he said... The way he said it... When Ayame's angry... He sounds JUST LIKE me... He looked... Even more like me. When he's angry... When he fights... There's no question: He's definately my brother." Yuki thought.
"I never knew... He could actually be that way. So serious... So powerful... So angry... I could never even begin to IMAGINE how strong he really is..."
"There's... More to this Ayame than meets the eye..."
"You were being taken over with blind rage, Kyo. You don't really want to kill her. Just... Your rage does. And I could not accept it. I will not let you or anyone else kill Rena, if I can help it." Ayame crossed his arms.
"Ayame-san knew Kyo-kun was serious about hurting Rena-chan... And to protect Rena-chan from Kyo-kun, someone who was a threat to her life and being at the moment... Ayame-san hurt Kyo-kun. Because he was a threat." Tohru thought.
"Even though I will Ayame-san hadn't of hit Kyo-kun... I'm glad Kyo-kun snapped out of it. That anger... It didn't belong to Kyo-kun. That wasn't Kyo-kun. It was the Vengeful Spirit of the Cat. And it scared me."
"Kyo-kun... I'm glad you're safe from that evil spirit. For now..."
"Kyo... Don't ever touch Rena like that again. Don't lay a hand on her in attempts of harming her. Or I'll really hurt you next time. You lack skills. You are no match for me. You can't even defeat Yuki, so don't get conceit and think you could ever defeat me. You should think with a clear head before you go around making stupid decisions like that." Ayameturned his back to Kyo.
"Wow. Ayame sounds JUST LIKE the Prince right now..." Arisa whistled low, folding her arms. "Yes... It is rather disturbing... When Ayame gets this way..." Hanajima trailed off.
"He's... Dangerous. When he's like this." "Relax Hanajima. He's cool. He knows how to control himself. He's calm already. Look at 'im. He's not angry or anything anymore." Arisa assured the priestess.
"Ayame won't lose it again. Like he did that time those villagers tried to kill Rena when she was a little girl. He won't lose it. Because he's better than that."
"I'm sorry that I hit you, Kyo. But... I would hit you 5 times as hard if it meant protecting Rena from you. You... You can't just kill her. I won't let you. I won't let anyone hurt her." Ayame held Rena in his arms.
"Ayame's right, Kyo. You can't kill Rena. You don't even have all of your facts straight. That was just the beginning. She's not done yet." Hatori agreed with the Snake.
"There's more?" Kagura furrowed her eyebrows. "Yes, there's more." Hatori replied. "Much, much more." "Just how much is 'much, much more'?" Kagura wondered.
"What other secrets is Rena hiding from us? What else could she possibly hide?"
Me: There, be happy. I updated. At the cost of a hurting shoulder. So if I don't update again fora bit, you can't blame me.
Mike: We can blame SOOOOREEEEEN ;)
Me: WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?!
Mike: That's a secrey ;)
SWD: OMFG...
Mike: Why hello DEAR :)
SWD: ...
SWD: ...
SWD: ...
SWD: (explodes) WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE, MICHAEL?!
Mike: Because I love you :)
SWD: (sigh)
Me: Mikey, she loves you too, but go away (lol, not really. Mikey's just being Mikey. He flirts with EVERYONE lol)
Mike: But babyyyy...
Me: WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!
Mike: (smirk) Baby.
Me: (growls) Ezy... (His name on Wonderland is Ezyjon, so I call him Ezy sometimes lol)
Mike: Hmm? Yes baby?
Me: EZY...
Mike: Baby, I love you soooo much. You too, my beloved WIFE. ;) (refering to SWD. lol, he's being an idiot again. He doesn't really love us :( lol.)
SWD: (eyes begin to glow) I SAY WE KILL THIS IDIOT.
Mike: I love you too, dear :)
Me: Oh god, he's too much j- (j- is a symbol for sweat drop lol)
Mike: You guys know you love me ;)
SWD: END THE CHAPTER ALREADY! THIS IS PURE TORTURE!!
Me: Read and review please!
Mike: KAWAII BOKU WA DESU DORA!
Reviewers: ...?
SWD: Ignore him! He doesn't know what he's saying! It's a sorry attempt atJapanese!
Mike: Melissa-chan no kawaii baka! ;)
SWD: Thank you, I am cute, but I'm NOT AN IDIOT!!
Mike: ;)
Reviewers: ...
SWD: Dammit, I said ignore him!!
Me: j- Mikey has completely taken over my a/n note...
Mikey: ;) Read and review please!
Me: OH, so NOW it ends just because HEEEEE says so! (sigh) I give up lol
Mike: Yes. Don't resist me ;)
SWD/Me: (anime falls, twitches horribly, and sighs) That's Mikey for ya...
