Chapter Fifteen: Unraveling the Past
Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo climbed the mountain most of the next morning. The two boys were very quiet and she wondered if she had done anything wrong to upset them.
"Um you guys" she said stopping them, "I'm very sorry."
"Huh?" the boys turned to look at her in surprise.
"If I have done anything to offend or upset you please tell me, I mean it's okay if you need to get it off your chest."
"Miss Honda" Yuki replied, "What brought this on all of a sudden?" (Whoa déjà vu?)
"Yea really?" Kyo said, "What the heck are you talking about?"
"It's just that I know something is bothering you two, and if it is something I did just tell me, I'll understand."
As she was speaking Tohru was nearing the edge of the cliff that they just climbed. She was so distracted that she slipped.
"Miss Honda!" Yuki shouted as he ran for her.
"Tohru watch out!!" Kyo shouted as well as he leapt for her.
They both wrapped their bodies around her. As they tumbled down the hill they transformed. They all landed in a heap on the bottom of the hill, in the middle of a clearing. Tohru immediately burst into tears.
"I am sorry, I'm sorry, I am so sorry" she cried.
"Yea well watch where you step next time" Kyo said rolling his eyes.
"I know, I know I am so sorry. I'll go get your clothes."
She climbed a little ways up the hill to gather their belongings.
"You know I could have handled that myself moron" Yuki replied.
"Hey you're one to talk, you could barely handle a map, what makes you think that you could have handled that alone huh?" Kyo retorted.
"Easy, I would have grabbed her hand and pulled her up instead I ended up tripping over your clumsy ass."
"All right that's it now girly boy!" Kyo shouted, "Let's go!"
"Give me a break stupid cat, even in this form I can still beat you."
"Oh yea, we'll just see about that!"
Suddenly from behind them they heard laughing. They turned around and saw Tohru giggling as she held onto Yuki's pants and Kyo's shirt.
"Miss Honda?" Yuki said coming over.
"What's going on?" Kyo asked.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh, but I was worried about you two. You weren't fighting, so I worried a little. But now it seems like you're back to your normal selves. I know that sounds silly, but it makes me feel good."
Yuki looked puzzled. Kyo just rolled his eyes.
"That's why you're laughing?" he said.
"Well that, and the fact that we didn't notice that we had passed the temple an hour ago" she smiled as she pointed.
The two boys looked at the temple, which stood not fifteen feet in front of them. They looked at each other, and then they couldn't help it. They both started to laugh, not really caring what the other thought.
****************
About ten minutes later, after changing back of course, the three travelers walked up to the small temple.
"This place is smaller than the Zodiac temple," Kyo observed.
"Yea" Yuki agreed, "How are we going to get in?"
Tohru meanwhile was looking at the hieroglyphs around the top of the archway.
"To enter in" she replied, "One must be of pure heart."
"What?" Kyo said.
"To enter in, one must be of pure heart. That's what it says."
Yuki walked over and stood next to her.
"Miss Honda you can read that?"
"Uh huh" she nodded.
"But it's ancient code isn't it?" Kyo said as he too walked over, "If you can read it, why did you ask my Master to translate that book for you? That's full of that ancient code stuff."
"Yes, I know. And I can read most of it. Believe me I have. But that part of the text always stumped me. So I asked him if he could translate it for me."
"Miss Honda" Yuki replied, "Where did you learn to translate ancient code?"
"My Mother" she said simply smiling.
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Kyo sighed, "So to get in one must be pure of heart huh? But how do you know if you are pure of heart?"
"I guess we just try to walk in and if one of us or all of us don't make it in, then we'll know" Tohru replied.
She held out her right hand to Yuki who took it gently. She held out her left hand to Kyo who hesitated at first, then grasped it firmly.
"Okay Miss Honda" Yuki said, "Lead the way."
****************
Tohru hand in hand with the two boys walked through the archway and up to an enormous door. With all their strength the three of them managed to open it. They each took a deep breath and with no problem entered the room. It was lit with dozens of candles that aligned the walls. There were many pillars throughout the room. In front of them stood a statue of a very fat ancestor of some kind. In front of him was an altar.
"Small place indeed" Kyo whistled, "How do we find a place for these medallions?"
"Rin said something about unlocking something. That these moons are keys" Yuki replied.
"Still doesn't make a whole heck of a lot of sense to me. Unlock what and how?"
"I don't know stupid cat, if I knew I would"
"Hey guys" Tohru interrupted them.
They both looked up and saw her over at the altar.
"I think I found the keyholes," she said.
They both walked over and saw what she meant. In the altar were carved three moon shape patterns. Just the right size for each of their medallions.
"Well now what?" Kyo replied, "Do we just put them in?"
"I think that would be obvious to anyone with brains," Yuki said.
Kyo glared at Yuki but just sighed.
"All right" he said as he yanked the medallion off his neck.
He placed the moon in the slot on the left side, where he was standing. Yuki gently took down his medallion and placed it on the right side, where he happened to be standing. Finally Tohru took hers off and placed it right in the middle. As soon as hers was placed the room began to shake. The pillars rocked back and forth in their positions. Tohru almost fell right into Kyo but he caught her hands and held her up as long as he could till she regained her balance.
"I think placing those moons was a bad idea!" Kyo shouted.
"What?" Yuki and Tohru responded back as if they couldn't hear him over the loud wind that was blowing throughout the temple.
Then a golden light filled the room and surrounded the statue that stood before them. They shielded their eyes and didn't open them again until the shaking stopped.
"What happened?" Kyo said as they all stared around the room.
"Whoa" a deep booming voice echoed throughout the room, "That's a ruckus that could sure wake the dead!!"
They all looked around stunned.
"Up here!"
They looked up and saw the statue, which had just minutes ago been stationary, talking and moving its stony head.
"Is it just me" Kyo started, "Or is that statue talking to us?"
"It's not just you" Yuki reassured him.
"Oh good" Kyo sighed.
"So" the statue said, "What do you want?"
"Well um" Tohru moved forward a little.
"Speak up young lady I haven't all day you know!"
"Oh I'm terribly sorry, it's just we are a bit in shock to see a statue talking to us."
"Statue? Oh bother" the statue looked at himself, "I hate it when this happens. Just hold on a minute. I'll fix it."
In an instant a glowing figure of the statue now stood in front of them.
"Is that better?"
"Great we go from a glowing talking statue" Kyo said sarcastically, "To a glowing talking ghost."
"Don't mock me young man" the ghost replied, "I am Mikado Sohma. Ancestor and head seeer of all curses and magics."
"Wait a minute" Yuki interrupted him, "You are one of the Sohmas ancestors?"
"That's correct. I guard the Zurinth temple, waiting for the day when the moon bearers will arrive and I can help them save my family. So who are you? And what have you summoned me for?"
"Well sir we are the moon bearers you have been waiting for" Tohru responded proudly.
"Come again?"
"What she said old man. We are the moon bearers" Kyo replied.
"There must be some mistake" Mikado scratched his head, "You can't be the moon bearers, you are just children."
"Correction we're teenagers" Kyo said.
"Whatever! It's just not possible!" the old ancestor threw up his hands.
"Well then how would you explain the three moons we used to summon you?" Yuki asked pointing to the altar.
Mikado walked over, looked at the moon pendants, then turned around and smiled.
"I never expected the moon bearers to be so young, but beggars can't be choosers. So" he said as he sat back down, "What can I do for you?"
"Well" Tohru replied sitting down next to him, "We were hoping you could reveal to us how the Zodiac curse came to be and possibly the way to lift it."
"I see. Well" he sighed, "I suppose I had better start at the beginning. It was before my time mind you. But I was one of the cursed. I was the dog. Any way."
****************
"About two hundred years ago the kingdoms of TarraSohma and ShiraNobi thrived on friendship. It was discussed quite often that the two would combine someday. However it was difficult since most Sohmas wanted to marry their own people and most Shinobis wanted to marry their own people. Well the year the curse happened, the crown prince of ShiraNobi was to decide on his bride. It had taken him at least five years to decide, but no one seemed right. Finally his father gave him an ultimatum, either find someone to marry or he would have to marry a girl of his fathers choice. Now most people didn't know that there was another kingdom, here in Zurinth. Before the Sohmas took this property over it belonged to the Maranabe family. In this family was a princess. An evil princess who was rumored to practice evil spells and curses almost like a sorceress. She fell in love instantly with the young prince of ShiraNobi, but he didn't love her. The fact of the matter was he had fallen in love. With a common girl. A girl who actually resided in TarraSohma. What he didn't know was that the girl was a Sohma herself. At first his father denied the marriage. But when it was discovered that the girl was in fact a princess, the king was overjoyed because he wanted the kingdoms to join. The princess of Maranabe got wind of this plan and was furious. So the day of the wedding she interrupted it disguising herself as a ShiraNobi. When the ceremony was nearly complete she cast her spell. The curse of the Zodiac on the Sohma family. On the princess she placed a most deadly curse. The death curse. She would die very young. Because she had tricked everyone into believing that the Shinobi family was responsible for the curse, war broke out between the two countries. The prince never married. He watched his young wife die. He watched as the two countries fought in a senseless war. No one ever knew what became of the sorceress princess either. She just disappeared, satisfied with her revenge on the Sohma family. Her vow that day was that the two countries would never become at peace or reunited. And you see how that turned out."
"But if you knew all this, why didn't you say something?" Kyo replied, "You could have saved a whole lot of heartache."
"I know but unfortunately, we don't learn the truth until after we are dead."
"Oh well, that's just great" Kyo sighed.
"But if it is a curse" Tohru said, "Then there must be a way to undo it."
"Well there is" Mikado replied, "But it is difficult to understand. It is written on that wall in a passage. Go ahead and read it if you can."
Tohru walked over and looked at the wall. It took her a few minutes but she decoded it.
"To undo the curse of the Zodiac, each member must present themselves on the Zodiac Stone from 1 to 13. Then the curse will lift and peace shall prevail."
"But what does that mean?" Yuki scratched his head, "And what is the Zodiac Stone?"
"It is an ancient stone hidden between both countries. Only the thirteen members of the Zodiac can lift the curse, that and a generous act of kindness from the one they believed did the wrong."
"That would be me, or my family?" Tohru said.
"Wait a minute, you are a Shinobi?"
She nodded.
"And you two are Sohmas?"
Yuki nodded smiling.
"More or less" Kyo frowned.
"My I never thought I would see the day when a Shinobi and a Sohma would get along" he chuckled as he stood up.
He walked over to the statue.
"Now you have all the information you will need to lift the curse, oh and one more thing, if you want to get back to your realm just go out the door to the right and it will take you there. Good luck my children!" he said with arms open wide.
"Good bye!" Tohru called as the boys waved.
"Well what are we waiting for!" Kyo shouted, "Let's go home!"
****************
Kyo and Yuki walked Tohru to the edge of the woods and stopped.
"Listen Miss Honda I can take you all the way home" Yuki replied.
"No Yuki that's okay. You're late anyways. I don't want you to get into any more trouble."
"She's right you damn rat" Kyo said, "I am closer, I'll take her home. You need to get back to TarraSohma."
"All right" Yuki finally nodded, "But we will keep in contact" he replied climbing on his horse.
He galloped off while Tohru waved and Kyo frowned.
"Okay Princess" Kyo said hoisting her on the other horse, "Let's get you home finally."
"Okay" she grinned as he too climbed on and galloped in the direction of ShiraNobi."
****************
Yuki rode his horse through the gates with no trouble. He walked up the stairs and no one stopped him. He figured that Haru and Momiji had done their job. He entered his room and turned around to close the door.
"Hello Yuki" Akito's cynical voice replied.
Yuki took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Akito was sitting in a chair right across from him.
"Welcome home" Akito said.
**************************************************************
Authors Note: Okay guys. The Sohma curse. How and when in a nutshell.
Next Chapter: Kyo's Punishment
Akito has found out about Zurinth and punishes Kyo in the worse possible way. Can Tohru save him in time? Find out next time!
Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo climbed the mountain most of the next morning. The two boys were very quiet and she wondered if she had done anything wrong to upset them.
"Um you guys" she said stopping them, "I'm very sorry."
"Huh?" the boys turned to look at her in surprise.
"If I have done anything to offend or upset you please tell me, I mean it's okay if you need to get it off your chest."
"Miss Honda" Yuki replied, "What brought this on all of a sudden?" (Whoa déjà vu?)
"Yea really?" Kyo said, "What the heck are you talking about?"
"It's just that I know something is bothering you two, and if it is something I did just tell me, I'll understand."
As she was speaking Tohru was nearing the edge of the cliff that they just climbed. She was so distracted that she slipped.
"Miss Honda!" Yuki shouted as he ran for her.
"Tohru watch out!!" Kyo shouted as well as he leapt for her.
They both wrapped their bodies around her. As they tumbled down the hill they transformed. They all landed in a heap on the bottom of the hill, in the middle of a clearing. Tohru immediately burst into tears.
"I am sorry, I'm sorry, I am so sorry" she cried.
"Yea well watch where you step next time" Kyo said rolling his eyes.
"I know, I know I am so sorry. I'll go get your clothes."
She climbed a little ways up the hill to gather their belongings.
"You know I could have handled that myself moron" Yuki replied.
"Hey you're one to talk, you could barely handle a map, what makes you think that you could have handled that alone huh?" Kyo retorted.
"Easy, I would have grabbed her hand and pulled her up instead I ended up tripping over your clumsy ass."
"All right that's it now girly boy!" Kyo shouted, "Let's go!"
"Give me a break stupid cat, even in this form I can still beat you."
"Oh yea, we'll just see about that!"
Suddenly from behind them they heard laughing. They turned around and saw Tohru giggling as she held onto Yuki's pants and Kyo's shirt.
"Miss Honda?" Yuki said coming over.
"What's going on?" Kyo asked.
"I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh, but I was worried about you two. You weren't fighting, so I worried a little. But now it seems like you're back to your normal selves. I know that sounds silly, but it makes me feel good."
Yuki looked puzzled. Kyo just rolled his eyes.
"That's why you're laughing?" he said.
"Well that, and the fact that we didn't notice that we had passed the temple an hour ago" she smiled as she pointed.
The two boys looked at the temple, which stood not fifteen feet in front of them. They looked at each other, and then they couldn't help it. They both started to laugh, not really caring what the other thought.
****************
About ten minutes later, after changing back of course, the three travelers walked up to the small temple.
"This place is smaller than the Zodiac temple," Kyo observed.
"Yea" Yuki agreed, "How are we going to get in?"
Tohru meanwhile was looking at the hieroglyphs around the top of the archway.
"To enter in" she replied, "One must be of pure heart."
"What?" Kyo said.
"To enter in, one must be of pure heart. That's what it says."
Yuki walked over and stood next to her.
"Miss Honda you can read that?"
"Uh huh" she nodded.
"But it's ancient code isn't it?" Kyo said as he too walked over, "If you can read it, why did you ask my Master to translate that book for you? That's full of that ancient code stuff."
"Yes, I know. And I can read most of it. Believe me I have. But that part of the text always stumped me. So I asked him if he could translate it for me."
"Miss Honda" Yuki replied, "Where did you learn to translate ancient code?"
"My Mother" she said simply smiling.
"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Kyo sighed, "So to get in one must be pure of heart huh? But how do you know if you are pure of heart?"
"I guess we just try to walk in and if one of us or all of us don't make it in, then we'll know" Tohru replied.
She held out her right hand to Yuki who took it gently. She held out her left hand to Kyo who hesitated at first, then grasped it firmly.
"Okay Miss Honda" Yuki said, "Lead the way."
****************
Tohru hand in hand with the two boys walked through the archway and up to an enormous door. With all their strength the three of them managed to open it. They each took a deep breath and with no problem entered the room. It was lit with dozens of candles that aligned the walls. There were many pillars throughout the room. In front of them stood a statue of a very fat ancestor of some kind. In front of him was an altar.
"Small place indeed" Kyo whistled, "How do we find a place for these medallions?"
"Rin said something about unlocking something. That these moons are keys" Yuki replied.
"Still doesn't make a whole heck of a lot of sense to me. Unlock what and how?"
"I don't know stupid cat, if I knew I would"
"Hey guys" Tohru interrupted them.
They both looked up and saw her over at the altar.
"I think I found the keyholes," she said.
They both walked over and saw what she meant. In the altar were carved three moon shape patterns. Just the right size for each of their medallions.
"Well now what?" Kyo replied, "Do we just put them in?"
"I think that would be obvious to anyone with brains," Yuki said.
Kyo glared at Yuki but just sighed.
"All right" he said as he yanked the medallion off his neck.
He placed the moon in the slot on the left side, where he was standing. Yuki gently took down his medallion and placed it on the right side, where he happened to be standing. Finally Tohru took hers off and placed it right in the middle. As soon as hers was placed the room began to shake. The pillars rocked back and forth in their positions. Tohru almost fell right into Kyo but he caught her hands and held her up as long as he could till she regained her balance.
"I think placing those moons was a bad idea!" Kyo shouted.
"What?" Yuki and Tohru responded back as if they couldn't hear him over the loud wind that was blowing throughout the temple.
Then a golden light filled the room and surrounded the statue that stood before them. They shielded their eyes and didn't open them again until the shaking stopped.
"What happened?" Kyo said as they all stared around the room.
"Whoa" a deep booming voice echoed throughout the room, "That's a ruckus that could sure wake the dead!!"
They all looked around stunned.
"Up here!"
They looked up and saw the statue, which had just minutes ago been stationary, talking and moving its stony head.
"Is it just me" Kyo started, "Or is that statue talking to us?"
"It's not just you" Yuki reassured him.
"Oh good" Kyo sighed.
"So" the statue said, "What do you want?"
"Well um" Tohru moved forward a little.
"Speak up young lady I haven't all day you know!"
"Oh I'm terribly sorry, it's just we are a bit in shock to see a statue talking to us."
"Statue? Oh bother" the statue looked at himself, "I hate it when this happens. Just hold on a minute. I'll fix it."
In an instant a glowing figure of the statue now stood in front of them.
"Is that better?"
"Great we go from a glowing talking statue" Kyo said sarcastically, "To a glowing talking ghost."
"Don't mock me young man" the ghost replied, "I am Mikado Sohma. Ancestor and head seeer of all curses and magics."
"Wait a minute" Yuki interrupted him, "You are one of the Sohmas ancestors?"
"That's correct. I guard the Zurinth temple, waiting for the day when the moon bearers will arrive and I can help them save my family. So who are you? And what have you summoned me for?"
"Well sir we are the moon bearers you have been waiting for" Tohru responded proudly.
"Come again?"
"What she said old man. We are the moon bearers" Kyo replied.
"There must be some mistake" Mikado scratched his head, "You can't be the moon bearers, you are just children."
"Correction we're teenagers" Kyo said.
"Whatever! It's just not possible!" the old ancestor threw up his hands.
"Well then how would you explain the three moons we used to summon you?" Yuki asked pointing to the altar.
Mikado walked over, looked at the moon pendants, then turned around and smiled.
"I never expected the moon bearers to be so young, but beggars can't be choosers. So" he said as he sat back down, "What can I do for you?"
"Well" Tohru replied sitting down next to him, "We were hoping you could reveal to us how the Zodiac curse came to be and possibly the way to lift it."
"I see. Well" he sighed, "I suppose I had better start at the beginning. It was before my time mind you. But I was one of the cursed. I was the dog. Any way."
****************
"About two hundred years ago the kingdoms of TarraSohma and ShiraNobi thrived on friendship. It was discussed quite often that the two would combine someday. However it was difficult since most Sohmas wanted to marry their own people and most Shinobis wanted to marry their own people. Well the year the curse happened, the crown prince of ShiraNobi was to decide on his bride. It had taken him at least five years to decide, but no one seemed right. Finally his father gave him an ultimatum, either find someone to marry or he would have to marry a girl of his fathers choice. Now most people didn't know that there was another kingdom, here in Zurinth. Before the Sohmas took this property over it belonged to the Maranabe family. In this family was a princess. An evil princess who was rumored to practice evil spells and curses almost like a sorceress. She fell in love instantly with the young prince of ShiraNobi, but he didn't love her. The fact of the matter was he had fallen in love. With a common girl. A girl who actually resided in TarraSohma. What he didn't know was that the girl was a Sohma herself. At first his father denied the marriage. But when it was discovered that the girl was in fact a princess, the king was overjoyed because he wanted the kingdoms to join. The princess of Maranabe got wind of this plan and was furious. So the day of the wedding she interrupted it disguising herself as a ShiraNobi. When the ceremony was nearly complete she cast her spell. The curse of the Zodiac on the Sohma family. On the princess she placed a most deadly curse. The death curse. She would die very young. Because she had tricked everyone into believing that the Shinobi family was responsible for the curse, war broke out between the two countries. The prince never married. He watched his young wife die. He watched as the two countries fought in a senseless war. No one ever knew what became of the sorceress princess either. She just disappeared, satisfied with her revenge on the Sohma family. Her vow that day was that the two countries would never become at peace or reunited. And you see how that turned out."
"But if you knew all this, why didn't you say something?" Kyo replied, "You could have saved a whole lot of heartache."
"I know but unfortunately, we don't learn the truth until after we are dead."
"Oh well, that's just great" Kyo sighed.
"But if it is a curse" Tohru said, "Then there must be a way to undo it."
"Well there is" Mikado replied, "But it is difficult to understand. It is written on that wall in a passage. Go ahead and read it if you can."
Tohru walked over and looked at the wall. It took her a few minutes but she decoded it.
"To undo the curse of the Zodiac, each member must present themselves on the Zodiac Stone from 1 to 13. Then the curse will lift and peace shall prevail."
"But what does that mean?" Yuki scratched his head, "And what is the Zodiac Stone?"
"It is an ancient stone hidden between both countries. Only the thirteen members of the Zodiac can lift the curse, that and a generous act of kindness from the one they believed did the wrong."
"That would be me, or my family?" Tohru said.
"Wait a minute, you are a Shinobi?"
She nodded.
"And you two are Sohmas?"
Yuki nodded smiling.
"More or less" Kyo frowned.
"My I never thought I would see the day when a Shinobi and a Sohma would get along" he chuckled as he stood up.
He walked over to the statue.
"Now you have all the information you will need to lift the curse, oh and one more thing, if you want to get back to your realm just go out the door to the right and it will take you there. Good luck my children!" he said with arms open wide.
"Good bye!" Tohru called as the boys waved.
"Well what are we waiting for!" Kyo shouted, "Let's go home!"
****************
Kyo and Yuki walked Tohru to the edge of the woods and stopped.
"Listen Miss Honda I can take you all the way home" Yuki replied.
"No Yuki that's okay. You're late anyways. I don't want you to get into any more trouble."
"She's right you damn rat" Kyo said, "I am closer, I'll take her home. You need to get back to TarraSohma."
"All right" Yuki finally nodded, "But we will keep in contact" he replied climbing on his horse.
He galloped off while Tohru waved and Kyo frowned.
"Okay Princess" Kyo said hoisting her on the other horse, "Let's get you home finally."
"Okay" she grinned as he too climbed on and galloped in the direction of ShiraNobi."
****************
Yuki rode his horse through the gates with no trouble. He walked up the stairs and no one stopped him. He figured that Haru and Momiji had done their job. He entered his room and turned around to close the door.
"Hello Yuki" Akito's cynical voice replied.
Yuki took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Akito was sitting in a chair right across from him.
"Welcome home" Akito said.
**************************************************************
Authors Note: Okay guys. The Sohma curse. How and when in a nutshell.
Next Chapter: Kyo's Punishment
Akito has found out about Zurinth and punishes Kyo in the worse possible way. Can Tohru save him in time? Find out next time!