The Curse of the Cat

126. Languid

Their reunion seemed to accelerate the flow of time. All too soon, true summer was upon them. School was about to break, and Koichi carefully cleaned out his locker because he knew he wouldn't be going back.

'What are you doing?'

He turned. Katsuharu's voice wasn't all that familiar to him. Their meetings had been, after all, sporadic at best. There'd been that incident with Tommy, then the incident with his inhaler as a sort of revenge that had backfired and somehow dragged Takuya into it as well…

He felt for his pocket, where his inhaler sat: a familiar, comforting weight.

'What are you doing?' the older boy repeated, voice a mix between irritation and worry.

'Cleaning out my locker,' Koichi replied, bemused.

'You moving somewhere?'

Why did he care? Koichi wondered.

When Katsuharu reached for one of the few books remaining in the locker, he stood abruptly, blocking the other's path.

'I'd rather,' he said, 'you didn't touch my things.'

Because they were his things: that his mother had brought with her hard-earned money, even though she knew that, in the end, it would be a wasted effort. 'It wasn't wasted if you use and enjoy them,' she said. And they were his for that very reason.

'Or what?' But Katsuharu withdrew his hand. It curled into a fist, then relaxed again. 'You didn't flinch.'

'Some things are more important.' Koichi took the rest of the books from his locker and shut it firmly. 'In my case, though, it's because sometimes that's the only small victory you can get.'

The other grabbed his arm when he made to leave, and suddenly, Katsuharu's face is worried, completely foreign. 'Is something going on at home?'

'My parents?' Koichi asked. 'No.' But he looked at Katsuharu's face and knew. 'You're not so different, are you? Surrounded by people but still lonely.'

Because, in that moment, he was reminded of Fuyuno, lying in the shade of the porch while watching the other Zodiac members in the courtyard. Even he would be there, sometimes with Teruo, sometimes just talking quietly with his father, most of the time well apart from the rest and filling his belly even knowing he'd probably throw it all up later. But Fuyuno didn't have even that. He'd watch them all, jealous and alone. And then he'd summon them one by one, least favoured to most, and those would ease the stings.

And he'd find himself feeling bitter too, by the end of it, as no doubt Fuyuno intended year after year. Bitter and more than a little broken inside.

But, he knew, Fuyuno was more than a little broken inside as well. And just as human as a boy who demanded attention because nobody gave it to him at home.

'I have friends,' Katsuharu said, letting go. 'I have family too, even if they get lost amongst themselves sometimes.' He rubbed his arm. 'Took crashing Mum's care to realise that, somehow.'

'Why are you telling me all this?' Koichi asked. He didn't rub his own arm; Katsuharu hadn't held on so tightly at all.

Katsuharu shrugged. 'Just wanted to say sorry, I guess. I got the sudden feeling I was about to miss my chance.' He eyed the backpack. 'We keep our lockers all year round, you know.'

'I know.' And what to say to someone who was virtually a stranger? 'I just prefer to have my things more accessible than in a locker at school when I'm away.'

'Not planning on coming to summer school or clubs, then.'

'No.' And it was more than that. Technically, he wasn't planning on coming back at all.

127. Obsessive

Zoe realised, somewhere along the way, that they'd never discussed what had happened when Koichi had dropped his juzu beads. She'd never really gotten a good opportunity either, once they'd finished their pair assignment. There was always someone else around, or something else happening… and that was usually a good thing, but the way he'd looked, he'd smelled, he'd seemed…

There was something deeper to the curse that he hadn't told them about, still.

And then there was how closed off he was. Koji had been the same, when they'd first met, but he'd started opening up and he'd only continued opening up since. In comparison, Koichi seemed to have hit a wall and bounced backwards. For no apparent reason he'd get a faraway look in his eyes. And while he didn't bar them from his apartment or shun them at school, he'd stopped accepting their invitations to hang out in between.

Nothing had happened at JP's birthday, she'd thought. But nothing had also happened since.

But there was something, regardless. And maybe it didn't have to do with the past at all, but the future.

That was Tommy's idea. When he mentioned what he'd heard the two cousins talking about in the kitchen. 'I mean, I don't really understand it, but they were saying something about being locked up…'

And Koji refused to answer. As had Teruo. 'Ask Koichi,' Teruo had said. 'You're better off not knowing,' was Koichi's response.

But they were friends and they couldn't let it go. After all, they'd been told the same thing about the Zodiac curse.

128. Recoil

'Why?' Koichi asked, when Zoe brought up the question.

Koji, somewhat against his better judgement, was there as well. He had to admit he was curious – both about what his newfound twin would say, and also about the other form of the cat. Though he also knew he wasn't being fair, that they weren't being fair… and they could dress it up in pretty sentiments like friendship or overcoming the curse but what would any of that mean to Koichi in a few weeks?

But the gauntlet was thrown, and at least Takuya had a better answer at ready than Koji's one. 'Because we've only got bits and pieces and half-truths,' he said, 'and that shouldn't get in the way of our friendship. Zoe's already seen but she's had no explanation. And explaining things would get it off your chest as well, wouldn't it? I mean, what else has been bugging you lately?'

Well, the answer to that was obvious to Koji – and any other Zodiac member. 'It's almost July.'

'Well, yeah, but I thought cats like the summer.'

Koichi snorted. 'Ironic, isn't it? I wonder if some god of the past chose that date on purpose or if it's just a coincidence.'

And, again, that only made sense to Koji.

But they looked so earnest anyway. And they hadn't recoiled when they'd turned into animals in front of them.

'Have faith in us,' said Takuya.

'It's not that.' Koichi turned away, playing with his beads again, as he did when he was nervous. 'There's no point in you knowing all the details. Our time together is nearly up anyway.'

But maybe there was something in his own statement that made him reconsider. Because he slipped off the beads in one quick, purposeful motion.

And the others stared agape at the hulking, decaying monster that stood in his place.

129. Vehement

So that was the culmination of their hatred and envy, Koji thought. The physical manifestation of their curse. They came off as rather cutesy animals most of the time, but this…

He had to try very hard not to gag at the smell.

The beast staggered away from them. In another motion, it slipped the juzu beads around a wrist and shrunk. In seconds, it was Koichi huddled in on himself, clutching the juzu beads tight with the other hand and breathing deep. Whether he'd meant to wind up facing away from them or not was anyone's guess.

'And there you have it,' he whispered, finally, barely audible.

'Didn't explain a thing,' Takuya said strongly, and that made five surprised heads turn his way. 'What? I'm sure we asked why, not what.'

JP snorted. 'Only you… though it is true. That was a bit of a shock, but why is it only you out of the Zodiac members who comes with an in built defence mechanism?'

Now the twins stared at JP.

And Tommy took over. 'Well, if there was someone you really wanted to scare off, you could just take your beads off…'

'I think Fuyuno would have something to say about that,' Koji muttered.

'He'd have something to say regardless.' But Koichi had a small smile on his face, even though his eyes were watering. 'Well, that backfired spectacularly though.'

Koji frowned at him. 'Did you really think you could scare them away?'

'Fuyuno always said this form would do that.' Koichi rubbed his eyes, and Koji knelt next to him and offered an embrace.

'Silly,' he said, a little affectionately. 'I'm sure they'll find a way to sneak into the compound too.'

'They shouldn't. They'll get in trouble.' And Koichi buried his head into the other's chest, shoulders shaking.

'Hey, if that's what we have to do to keep being friends with you,' Zoe shrugged, then stared. 'Koichi?'

130. Collide

It took a while for the twins to calm down and explain things, but eventually they managed it.

And their little group of friends was unusually but expectedly sombre by the end of it.

'But that's not fair!' Takuya exploded, finally. 'I mean, what does anybody get out of that? Your head can't be that petty that he'd think about where the cat is locked up every second of the day, so that just makes it one big waste.'

'And to ask two brothers to fight to the death to avoid that?' Zoe's eyes were brimming with tears. 'I mean, I couldn't have blamed Koichi for trying if he did, but that's just too cruel.'

'The problem is that Fuyuno won't accept anything less than a serious match, so it'd be a job to fool him and come out of it with both of us intact,' Koji sighed. It had taken a while to understand, and to come to terms with it all. And the more he'd understood of his parents' decision, the worse he felt. And the more he cursed their bloodline and their curse. 'Our parents had known, from the moment we were born, that we could never live together.'

'Mum went as far as she could,' Koichi continued quietly, 'but she couldn't leave Dad and Koji completely. And she tried to send me away, still, when I grew older, but I suppose I'd inherited that from her. Maybe, on the other side of the world, there was a place to escape a god's reach. But that's just as much a prison as the cat's room.'

'I don't get it,' JP said honestly. 'I mean, if you're going to be locked up in a tiny room, isn't it better to go far away?'

Koichi shook his head. 'Physically, perhaps, but mentally that's accepting defeat. And the only way this is bearable is to fight it, because it's not fair and there's nothing I can do to convince myself it is. I've tried.' He closed his eyes and leaned back. The sun's glare still burnt through his lids. 'The cat is the physical and mental punching bag amongst the Zodiac. And fighting back physically would mean I'd only be hurt more, but on the mental side of things… they'd never know what sort of wars I waged in my head, I thought. If I could save my will to not give in, if nothing else, then there was a battle I was winning.'

'Sheer stubborn will, huh,' Takuya sighed. 'Sounds like something I'd tell my mother if I could find the words, but whatever keeps you fighting, I guess. But then what? You live the rest of your life in a cage with people only jeering at you? That stinks. We can visit, at least, right?'

'We'll have to sneak in,' Koji said.

'Don't encourage them!' Koichi exclaimed.

'Oh, I will, and you look forward to it.'

He scolded his brother, but there was a small smile on his face anyway.