Tohru stared at Tai as he moved over to the large table and picked up the journal that she had placed down when she first saw him aboveher and handed it back to her..
"So do you recognize it?" he asked again as she raised her head.
"Why do you ask me that question?"
"It looks just like this one doesn't it?" he said holding up the cat's journal that Tohru had been reading.
"Hey where did you get that?" she replied in surprise.
"From your bag" he said, "However" he replied as he threw it onto the table, "This one is worthless compared to the one you hold in your hand right now."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean the one you hold in your hand is the real cats journal. The one you have been reading is a duplicate."
"A duplicate? How can that be?"
"It's very simple," he said as he sat on the couch nearest the table, "If you don't believe me just open the pages. It has most of the same contents as the other journal, however as I suspected when I found it in your bag your book is missing the last two pages."
"Huh?" Tohru stared at him in disbelief and grabbed for the book on the table dropping the other on the table in the process, "They are missing" she said slowly as she flipped to the back, "But why is that? I don't. Huh?" she gasped, "Wait. If you know that this is the cats journal" she turned to him with wide eyes, "Then you know about the Zodiac curse."
"You're right" he grinned, "I do know about it. But you still haven't figured out why. I think that book would have been enough to reveal how I know."
"I know why. I never thought about it much but you're a, you must be a descendent from the Ushida clan?"
"Correct" he nodded, "Although all my life I thought is was just a story" he replied as he rose up and walked over to his shelf fingering the books, " I heard from my grandfather and great grandfather when I was young about so manystrange stories amongst our family. The story of the Ushida clan and all it's great leaders. But the one I chose not to believe was the one that seemed the most impossible. Until about a year ago that is I didn't eventhink about it."
"A year ago?"
"Yes" he looked at her, "Riku had come over with a copy of your latest movie that you had sent your grandparents. I wanted to see it so I watched it with him but it made me remember those stories I heard as a child."
"What movie was it?"
" Zodiac Curse the movie" he replied as Tohru's eyes became even wider, "A fine piece of work Tohru, I must admit but like I said I suddenly became obsessed with that story for Ihad always been told especially by my great grandfather that it was a true story. So I started to dig in my past. There were so many things put into storage and in the attic. Including this" he said flipping on the lights revealing a large portrait on the wall that made Tohru take a step back.
"It's Hayoto Ushida," she said in a gasp.
"Yes" he nodded, "You recognize him?"
"I've seen him in my dreams. Lately since I have read the cat's journal I have seen so many things. He is the head of the Ushida clan that fights the Sohma clan in my dreams. He was real? The dreams are real?"
"Dreams huh? Well I wouldn't know about that. But you are correct this was the leader back then when the Zodiac curse came to be."
"Huh? I see. Then the Ushida clan was the ones who were responsible as Yuki surmised."
"What?" Tai stared at her with an amused face, "What a ridiculous theory. You mean you don't know?"
"Huh?"
"It wasn't the Ushida clan who caused this but one of their own."
(Next Scene)
While Takao placed the key into the lock of the back door Kyo and Yuki took out the nearest cameras. Then they sprinted to the door as fast as they could, Takao holding the door open for them. It had begun to rain so they walked into the house dripping a bit with water.
"Okay" Kyo replied as he brushed a hand through his wet hair, "Where do we look?"
"There's a lot of floors in this house" Takao said taking off the soaking hat, "I suggest we split up. You and Yuki go look on the top two floors, I'll take the two bottom floors."
"Okay" Kyo agreed as Yuki and he ran out of the room they were in and headed for the main hall with Takao right behind them.
(Next Scene)
"One of their own?" Tohru said in disbelief as she watched Tai sit back down.
"That's right. A woman by the name of Aya Sohma. It turn out she hated her own clan and was able to cast the spell on her own family using her own power.
"Aya? She placed the Zodiac curse on her own family?" Tohru said in shock.
Yes. It's in there. But don't take my word for it. Read the journal. The correct journal. It starts on the second to last page."
"But how can this be the right journal?" she replied, "How can there be two of them?"
"One is a fake like I said. The cat intended to send it to his beloved but it never reached her. Instead it ended up in the hands of the Ushida clan and rather then have the Zodiac curse revealed to the Sohma clan they simply sent a duplicate and kept the other one for themselves. You see I believe, now that this is just a theory because I haven't read the end of the journal that somehow the cat found out the cure for the curse and sent it to his beloved so that future generations would be able to solve it and my clan could not allow that to happen. After all we remained in power after that and the Sohma clan once proud and mighty themselves faded into obscurity."
Tohru slowly picked up the journal and turned to the second to last page. She began to read it out loud to herself.
"My Love,
How still the night is. How quiet the world seems and yet I still cannot be by your side. Though this pains me I have finally succeeded in my mission. One I have saved them, the family I had lost. They too have been affected by the curse but they take good care of me when I am around for I don't stay anywhere for very long. But the reason I am really writing you now is soon I can send this journal to you and you my strong beautiful one, will be able to do what I could not. I have found that I am not surviving in the wilderness as I had hoped. My body has become weak and soon I will be in the heavens where I will await you if god so lets it be. The last pages I will reveal to you what I have discovered and then you can save our family. Until we see each other again I will think of you always as I hope you think of me. Goodbye my love."
Tohru finished the last line, tears falling from her eyes slowly. She looked up at Tai who was still smirking.
"So you know about the Zodiac curse? But it doesn't explain why you have brought me here. What am I doing here Tai?"
"It's simple Tohru" Tai said seriously, "I will not allow another Sohma to get the best of my clan again. You see back then even though the curse came upon him that slime Kiyoshi Ushida still married the Princess Takara Sohma. The one who apparently looked a lot like you I discovered. When Hayoto Ushida found that out he was angry and threatened to kill the young lord. But the curse took control over him; this cat of the Zodiac who I know is Kyonow thanks to Kyo's father is the cat of the Zodiac. I should have known that orange hair of his wasn't normal. This cat destroyed Hayoto Ushida with one swipe of his claws, killing him instantly. I will not be like my ancestor. I will succeed where he did not. I will not allow this marriage between you and Kyo Sohma Tohru. I will stop it at all costs."
"How do you know about that? How do you know that we are engaged?"
"Riku and I know. For I was there that night. I watched as he proposed to you from a nearby house."
"You spied on us?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is what I first said. You're not marrying him. It doesn't matter anyway. He'll never get to you in time."
"What do you mean?" she said alarmed, "Where is Kyo?"
"Oh he's probably somewhere on a ship."
"On a ship?"
"That's right. I commissioned his father to help me with this plan. When I discovered about the Sohmas how was I to know that he would seek me out in order to get revenge on his own son. He also confirmed my suspicions about the Zodiac curse, therefore it was too easy. While Rei Sohma was taking care of you Tohru, my men were taking care of him. I believe his father was going to put him someplace where he could lock him up forever. Quite perfect for a monster if you ask me."
"What? You mean Kyo is locked up somewhere?"
"That's right. And you'll never see him again" Tai grinned moving towards her.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that" a voice replied from the door.
The lightening flashed knocking out the electricity. Tai and Tohru stared at Kyo's figure as the lightening kept flashing behind him silhouetting his face as he stared furiously as his opponent.
(Till Next Time)
Authors Note: Okay you guys! Two more chapters to go! I will finish this book tomorrow! See you then!
Next time on Rice-balls in a Fruits Basket:
Chapter Five: Final Confrontation
The Second showdown of Kyo and Tai has begun! See what happens next time!
And
Chapter Six: Safe For Now
Not telling! See you tomorrow for the final chapters of Book Seventeen!.
