"Kaye, don't give me that look. He was just telling a story, nothing more. Besides, we're here on vacation, so let's just enjoy it." Kento said as he picked up his luggage.

Kaye smiled at him as she picked up hers. "Alright, alright you win…You're right, we are on vacation. So then, let's just head in and get settled."

While they were on their way inside, standing on a ledge in the shadows something was watching them. Just as the figure was about to leave, he did a double take, 'What! No, it can't be…Rei? But how? Why?' A sadden and angry roar came from the same place where he was standing.

Kento and Kaye stopped where they were and looked over towards where the roar came from and frowned as they looked at each other. "You don't suppose?"

Kento shook his head, "I don't think so Kaye, it was only a story, nothing more. Come on, it's starting to get dark."

Kaye gave him an amused smirk, "What's this, are you actually scared of being out here?"

"No, I'm not scared, what gave you that idea? I just want to get inside before they close the restaurant, we haven't ate for a couple of hours, and I'm hungry." Kento replied with a smirk of his own as he lead her inside.

"Whatever you say Kento." Kaye laughed as the person at the front desk gave them their keys and instructed the bell hop to deliver their luggage to their room.

"Hey, you'd better stop teasing or you can just forget about the surprise." Kento warned with a smirk as they entered the restaurant.

Kaye looked at him in slight confusion.

Kento chuckled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag, and then handed it to her. His eyes danced in excitement as he nudged her to open it.

Kaye studied the small velvet bag and then finally opened it. "Kento, it's beautiful, thank you!" She pulled out an onyx talisman on a silver chain, and then put it on.

"That talisman is an heirloom that's been in my family for a very long time. So it's tradition for a Rei Faun to give it to the person they found that claimed their heart." Kento informed her. "There's a story to that particular talisman, but I don't remember how it goes." Kento replied a bit sheepish.

"It's alright Kento, what matters is the thought that was behind it." Kaye told him with a smile.
As the night moved on, the same figure that watched them earlier continued to study them. He growled in anger as he saw them getting up and heading back to their room. Within a blink of an eye, he was gone from where he was standing, and then appeared at the base as he sauntered over to the inn but staying in the shadows.

Not too far were also a small group of people, two burly men and one muscular female with a mark on her shoulder holding a rifle narrowed her eyes as she watched the other figure carefully. The two men were about to go and take the sauntering figure, "No, we'll wait and see what he does and then we'll strike." the female said with anger flaring in her eyes.

The three of them watched while the figure finally made it to their window and listened to them.

"Kento, you're telling me that you don't believe in the legend that the guide told us." Kaye asked as she walked over to her bed.

"No way, it's just a story Kaye. There's nothing to that legend." Kento replied as he shook his head.

"This from someone that's a legend along with the others about mystical armors." Kaye pointed out with a smirk.

"Hey that's different." Kento objected as he sat down on his bed.

Kaye was about to argue the point and the shook her head. "No, there's no point in dragging this out. You were right when you said earlier that we're on vacation."

Kento smirked, "Alright then, about time you saw it my way."

Kaye laughed as she opened the window to get some fresh air. Then in that moment, the figure leaped into the room and snarled at them as Kaye staggered back in surprise and Kento shot up from his bed.

"A jaguar…" Kaye said quietly as it kept his eyes on them. The jaguar roared as his tail swished from side to side, ears laying back.

Kento looked around for anything that he could use to fend him off. He grabbed onto a bar stool and guided Kaye behind him. "You can just jump out of that same window you came in and get out of here."

Just as the jaguar was going to pounce towards them, the same three that were watching him busted in. "Alright, Esca, you're going to pay for what you did to me all those years ago." the female warned angrily as she raised up her rifle and took aim.

"Esca?" Kaye asked with a confused frown as she looked at Kento.

Kento looked back at her with the same confused look. Wondering the same thing, could the legend actually be real?

The jaguar's roar snapped both of them back to the present. Snarling he looked back towards the three, his eyes gleamed and then looked toward the female's eyes and for a split second a look of hurt could be recognized between them. For that moment she lowered her rifle a little, and then the jaguar leaped to a desk and then pounced off and over Kento and Kaye as they stood in front of the door. But that didn't stop Esca, when he was going to twist in the air, one of his paws made a mark on the back of Kaye's shoulder and then dashed out the hall.

The female with the rifle swore angrily under her breath and then had the other two chase after him. She was about to go after them, when she stopped and frowned deeply. "I see that Esca has marked you, now you'll have the curse and turn into a jaguar. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a score to settle with him."

Kento put the bar stool down and glared at her as he blocked the door. "Hey, just hold it right there. You're not going anywhere until we get some answers."

"The more time we talk, the more time we waste on our hunt. Now, get out of my way." the female warned and then glanced over at Kaye. "You'd better say goodbye to your girlfriend, she won't be human for much longer. When the next full moon comes out, which will be tomorrow night. She'll morph into a jaguar, once that happens, there's no cure."

Kento's eyes sparked angrily as he grabbed onto her wrist. "You lie. There's no curse, you're just a poacher looking for a pelt."

The female looked down at her wrist and then dangerously at Kento as her eyes turned cat-like as well as her face. "Do you think I'm lying now? I want my revenge, and I'll get it no matter what. Esca took my life from me, and now I'm going to take his and end my curse."

Kaye's eyes widened in realization. "Kento, she's the one our guide told us about when he told us the legend, she's Rei."

Rei pulled out of Kento's grip and then her features changed back to human and then ran out of the room at top speed, disappearing into the night.

"Kaye, are you all right?" Kento asked in concern as he walked over to her and started to look over the back of her shoulder where she was marked.

"The legend, it's actually true, I'm going to…" Kaye replied as she looks at him with concerned eyes.

"No, I refuse to believe that I'll lose you to some crazy legend. You won't turn into a jaguar." Kento said as he was tending to it. "We'll figure this out."

"What if there's nothing that can be done?" Kaye asked when she saw that Kento was finished tending to it.

"Kaye, I don't want my girl to talk or to even think like that. You're my angel, and I won't lose you. I refuse to let that happen, we will find a way to lift this mark." Kento replied with determination showing in his eyes.

While Kento and Kaye were trying to figure out their next move, Rei finally caught up with the other two. "Which way did Esca go?"

"We're not sure, we lost him about half a mile back." the first guy replied.

Rei growled angrily as she looked at them. "Well, go back and pick up the trail! I will take Esca's life, since he's the one that ruined mine. I will keep hunting him until he's paid for what he has done."