Within two weeks the members of the Zodiac whose residence was once Tokyo, had moved to Kyoto according to Yamato's command. In the first week Shigure, Hatori, Kureno, and Ayame had all gone down to the main house to inspect it, and discovered that despite it being overly dusty the main building and the houses that surrounded it were in very good condition. So after they hired a quick clean up crew that was located right in town, they packed up their families and moved down to the large estate. During all the commotion, the people in Kaye and Sakura's part of the town were very curious and excited to see that after all the years that the gates were finally being open. There was even an article in the paper the week before they all saw at least twelve different cars drive through the gates and park inside the large stately grounds. As the gates closed the people of Kyoto watched behind the main gate, which was barred as the Sohma's departed their vehicles and stared at their new home. It wasn't much different then the home up in Tokyo except it was larger, there were more houses surrounding the main house, one for each family, and there was definite evidence of the Sohma heritage carved into many parts of the estate, so much so that Yuki who had accompanied Tohru, Kyo, and their family along with Takara to greet the new arrivals, glanced over at Momiji who nodded his head. Tohru too could feel in the atmosphere the familiarity of the place as she gazed around her. There was no doubt in their three minds. This was the place. The place where it had all begun.
Any way after a week of settling in it was time for Reiji, Akito, Kanako, and all the other kids to return to school. As he dressed slowly, grimacing at his new uniform Reiji sighed as his younger sister Rika came into the room. She saw him sigh again and then flop onto his bed with a frown, so she walked over with a sympathetic look.
"What's the matter big brother?" she asked her big brown eyes wide with worry.
"Oh everything" he replied as he patted her head gently, "I hate it here."
"But weren't you saying in Tokyo before we left how glad you were going to be to now be living so close to Kaye and Sakura?"
"That's the only good thing about all this Rika" he stood up and walked over to his desk to put his tie on, "When I imagined living in Kyoto it was without Him here."
"You really don't like him do you Reiji?"
"Can you blame me?"
"Mnm" she shook her head, "He's scary. I don't envy Hitomi or Takara because of it either."
"You shouldn't. You don't know how lucky you are that you are not cursed Rika. You don't know how lucky at all."
"I don't see what's so bad about it. Besides Yamato."
Reiji smiled and patted her head once more before moving past her.
"It's probably best that you don't," he added picking up his bag, "Well I'm off. Have a good first day Rika."
"You too. But aren't you going to wait for Akito and Kanako?" she asked pulling a barrette out of her pocket and placing it in her long black hair.
"No way" he snorted, "They can walk to school by themselves. I promised I'd meet Kaye at the front gates this morning."
Rika nodded as he walked to the front door, gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek, and departed the house. As he walked out the main gate one thought circled around in his head.
"I'll never forgive him," he thought bitterly, "I'll never forgive him for what he did" he closed his eyes briefly as he continued to walk down the street.
(Next Scene)
When Reiji arrived at school Katsuya and his best friend Soujiro greeted him enthusiastically. Afterwards the two boys led him to their classroom where just like Katsuya the girls were eyeing him an awful lot.
"Whoo boy!" Soujiro whistled, "Here for only one day and you already got the girls attention. I envy you Sohmas" he sighed.
"Don't envy us" Kaye retorted, "It's not that great."
"Besides" Reiji replied, "They're still looking at Katsuya quite a bit."
"So what else is new?" Katsuya sighed heavily.
Reiji looked over at his cousin and watched his somber expression a little concerned. He hadn't said much since they all came into town. The truth was Katsuya had been that way since new years. In fact he had been so preoccupied with his thoughts about Yamato that he hadn't spent any time with Stephanie, and when they were together it was at school and very brief contact.
At that moment she entered the room, said hello to her friends, and walked over to Katsuya to say good morning. He greeted her back warmly but still with a distant look in his eyes so she didn't push it. Instead she walked over to her desk, which was right next to Sakura and told her all about the news of helping to run the school store. Sakura frowned a little in her brother's direction after Reiji had been introduced to the class and decided to take it upon herself to make things right.
During lunchtime she found her brother sitting with Soujiro eating his lunch, since Stephanie of course was at the school store, and she pulled him aside to talk to him.
"What's up Sakura?" he asked in a lack luster voice.
"You just don't get it do you?" she began, "You got to stop Kaye."
"What do you mean? Stop what?"
"Do you have any idea of what you're doing? You're letting your feelings about Yamato to distract you from your relationship with Stephanie."
"That's not true" he replied.
"It is true Kaye" Sakura insisted, "This morning you just totally blew her off. And yesterday and the day before that too. In fact ever since we got back from the lake you have been very distant with her."
He sighed and nodded his head slowly.
"I know."
"Do you think that's fair?"
"No" he shook his head, "Of course not."
"Well I think you ought to fix it. I'm sure she's a little confused and feeling a little rejected right now. I could see it on her face when she sat down next to me. That's not right Kaye and it's not like you to be so cold towards her."
"Oh boy" he ran his fingers through his hair, "You're right. It's not like me and I admit I have been avoiding her."
"Why Kaye?"
"I don't know. I guess with everything, I don't want anything bad to happen to her you know?"
"Well you got to tell her that. She'll understand. She'll even try to help you through it."
"That's true" he nodded, "I got to go talk to her. Do you know where she is?"
"She's at the school store working right now."
"What?" he said a bit surprised.
"You missed everything this morning Kaye" she shook her head, "Even her news about helping out at the school store now."
"Oh" he replied sadly, "I better find her. Thanks Sakura" he added before leaving.
"Hey. That's what big sisters are for" she grinned as he ran towards the other side of the school building, "Go get her little brother."
(Next Scene)
Meanwhile at the school store Stephanie was standing behind the counter after just helping a few customers. The caretaker of the store, Mr. Yamada was in the back organizing shelves and had asked her to mind the front till he returned, which she readily agreed. She bent over for a few minutes to straighten the bottom counter when someone else entered the room.
"Ahem" the boy cleared his throat loudly and rather rudely.
Stephanie looked up in surprise to see Akito standing on the other side of the counter so she stood up straight and smiled.
"Oh? Hello. What can I do for you Mr. Sohma?"
"You work here?" he replied with the same air to his voice.
"Uh. Yes. Can I help you with something?"
"I need a notebook," he said shortly.
"Oh. Okay. We have a lot of choices. What color would you like?"
"I don't know" he shrugged, "Just show me your choices."
"All right" she nodded taking out all the variety of notebooks and placing them on the counter, "Obviously you don't want the pink one" she joked as he frowned at her slightly, "So is it blue or green?" she held them up, "Or maybe the black?"
"You know you shouldn't assume that those are the only colors that guys are interested in."
"Oh I know. I just thought that maybe you seem like a blue or a green. Actually those are the colors that most guys choose."
"How would you know?"
"Well I have two older brothers. That's how."
"I see" Akito replied but then he saw as he turned to the side that Reiji had entered the room, "The black one" he picked it up, "I'll take it."
"Okay. That'll be about four hundred yen."
Akito reached into his pocket and gave her the money while Reiji stood near the doorway and crossed his arms. She handed the black notebook to him and once more smiled.
"Have a good day Mr. Sohma and it was nice seeing you again" she replied.
"Whatever" Akito said in a huff as he moved past Reiji who eyed him angrily.
Stephanie sighed as Reiji came up to the counter.
"Don't let him get to you."
"Huh?"
"He's always been that way. To everyone he knows except for Kanako and Akito. If you ask me I wouldn't even waste your breath."
"Oh I see" she nodded, "Well what can I do for you? Do you need to buy something?"
"You actually work here?"
"Mhm. I just started today though. Do you need to buysomething?" she asked again.
"Um. Well not really. I was told by someone that I could find you in this direction and I heard Akito's voice so I came in."
"Oh. Did you need me for something?"
"I kind of just wanted to talk to you" he replied his grey eyes a bit worried, "Do you have lunch now?"
"Mhm. Just let me to talk to Mr. Yamada for a few minutes and then I'll join you."
"Great" he smiled as she ran to the back, talked to the head clerk for a few minutes, and came back out, "Well you lead the way to the lunch area. I'm still new remember" he grinned sheepishly.
"Of course" she nodded again and the two of them walked out of the store, her placing the closed sign on the door per Mr. Yamada's request, and then strolled towards the lunch area. As they turned the corner Katsuya arrived at the store and saw the sign.
"Damn" he muttered, "I wonder where she went?" he scratched his head.
(Next Scene)
Stephanie led Reiji to the rooms where lunch was held during the cold months. They moved past the students towards a corner that was a lot farther from everyone and sat down.
"So" Stephanie began as they sat with their bread at the two desks, "You wanted to talk to me?"
"Yea" Reiji nodded, "I. I really don't know where to begin. It's not an easy thing to talk about."
"Well I'll wait till you're ready then."
"Huh?"
"Until you're sure. I don't want to put any pressure on you."
"Gee. That's nice of you. You know you talk a lot like my Aunt Tohru. Did anyone ever tell you that?"
"I think I've heard it once or twice" she grinned, "But you know I think that there are a lot of differences between us too."
"I guess. But you sure accepted the Zodiac much in the same way that she did. So easily. Kaye's really lucky he found you."
"You talk very fondly about him too I notice. Just like he does about you."
"We're really close" Reiji nodded, "We always have been. I'm close to Sakura too but Kaye and I we understand another, because we're both guys."
"Sure" she agreed.
"He's like my brother. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. You're important to him. So therefore what's important to him is important to me also."
"Okay" she said certain he was going somewhere with what he was saying.
"Knowing about the Zodiac curse can be an exciting and yet dangerous concept."
"Dangerous? Do you mean Yamato?"
Reiji sighed and then looked at her straight in the eye.
"What has Kaye told you about him?"
"Basically that he is a fear of his. That Yamato is very possessive of him."
"Possessive is a good word" Reiji nodded with a frown, "That he is. He is very possessive of all of us, but Katsuya most of all. It's been like that since we were kids. Yamato is" Reiji paused, "Well let me lay things out on the table. I'll tell you what I personally think about him."
"All right."
"I hate him. No I absolutely loathe him" he paused again when he saw her expression, "But before you question me I can tell you I have a very good reason for hating him. However to explain it, I have to give you a little bit of our family background" he took a deep breath as she nodded once more, "I am the dragon of the Zodiac and like Katsuya I too carry a certain burden on my curse. And I say it's a burden because it's not a good thing."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Like me, my Uncle Hatori was once the dragon. Akito, well Akito's father, who Akito was named after, was the former head of the Zodiac and was not much different then Yamato. He too had obsessions, particularly with the male members of the Zodiac but we won't get into that. Anyway, Hatori fell in love with a woman named Kana and they were gonna get married, but Akito wouldn't allow it. Instead in a fit of rage, he blinded Hatori in one of his eyes. I'm not sure how but Kana saw the whole thing and blamed herself. She started to get very distant and then eventually very sick. And no matter what Uncle Hatori did or said she didn't get better but worse. So he did the only thing he could."
"What did he do?" Stephanie asked the tears forming in her eyes.
"He did the one thing a dragon could. He erased her memory of him."
"What?" Stephanie shook her head not understanding.
"The ability of the dragon is the know how to erase a person's memory of anything to do with the Zodiac curse. It's kind of like hypnotism so you can't be physically hurt by it. Hatori erased all her memories of him. And of the relationship they had together and in doing so she became better. But he lost her forever. Of course he eventually fell in love again, but that's his story. And" Reiji sighed, "Mine's no different."
"You had to erase a person's memory too?"
"Mhm" he nodded, "It's a requirement when you are the dragon to erase a person's memories once given the order. I didn't want to do it. I had no choice," he added bitterly.
"Tell me" she urged.
"When I was growing up" he sniffed a little, "I lived next door to a little girl named Sara and her family. I was three years old when I first met her. We hit it off right away and soon became real close. We were always playing and laughing together. She was my best friend" he smiled slightly at the memory, "She looked a lot like you too. Long brown hair. Big brown eyes. I can remember everything about her. We were inseparable until, that day."
"What happened?"
"I had taken her to the main house. I wasn't supposed to be there, but there was a lot more room to play there and she always wanted to meet Sakura and Kaye. So since they were visiting because their parents were doing something up in Tokyo, we all played together."
"I thought they only visited the main house on new years?"
"It was just a one time thing. Anyhow" he sighed, "We were playing tag and I was always careful around her so I wouldn't transform, but this time I let my guard down. Sara was it so she was chasing after me. Before I knew it she had jumped into my arms and I transformed. Needless to say she was very surprised. You would be too if you saw a baby dragon at your feet instead of your best friend. But she didn't even have time to ask questions because Yamato had seen everything from his room. All at once things happened so fast. She was taken away by Shigure and Hatori and I was brought to Yamato immediately. He yelled at me for how stupid I had been and then told me what my punishment was to be. Smiling the whole time I might add" Reiji said angrily.
"Punishment?" Stephanie's eyes became wide.
"I had no choice but to do what he said. I was only eight years old. He told me to erase her memory of me and I could never even after it was gone, see her again."
"Oh Reiji."
"So I did it" the tears welled up in his eyes now, "I erased her memory of me. Everything. After that, the only times I saw her was if we passed each other on the street, but I would ignore her completely. I would also see her in school the next few years, but I was nothing but polite. Nothing more. Even though I wanted to say something so many times, I couldn't. What would be the point? She didn't know me anymore. So now that's the way it is. I'll never forgive him" he spat, "Never. But as bad as that was, there is a reason more why I won't."
"More?"
"When Katsuya found out about what Yamato was making me do, he became very upset and tried to convince Yamato to change his mind. But in the process he got hurt badly for it."
"What?"
"Yamato really reamed him that day. I mean really bad."
"How bad?" Stephanie replied with shocked eyes now.
"It was so bad that when I found him he could barely move. He had bruises from his head to his legs. It was awful. But luckily for him his parents weren't coming back for another day, so we had time to cover it up."
"How did you do that?"
"With Sakura's help, we patched him up as best as we could for eight year olds and when my parents asked what happened we told them it was because he had crashed his bike. The one that he had been riding. And it was true we had been riding bikes earlier that day and to make it even more convincing Sakura and I trashed my bike to make sure it looked like he had crashed. He was taken to Hatori with no other explanation and when his parents came no one knew the truth but me, Sakura, and him."
"Oh Kaye" she closed her eyes sadly.
"I'm telling all of this to you" he continued after she opened her eyes once more, "Because one I am sure he hasn't mentioned it, and two to warn you."
"Warn me?"
"Getting involved with the Sohma family is a painful thing. I'm not going to lie to you. And to be honest I don't want to see another person go through the same thing as Sara did. I can't watch Kaye go through that."
"You think Yamato might try to have my memory erased?"
"It's a possibility. But I already made up my mind about one thing. I won't do it. I won't do it at all. I won't help Yamato hurt Kaye that way."
"I know" she nodded, "But despite your warning, I'm willing to take that risk."
"Huh?" he stared at her surprised.
"I love Katsuya. With everything I am. I can't stop feeling that way nor do I want to. And I won't no matter what. He's worth everything to me and even if I have to go through a little pain to be with him I won't mind" she cried as Reiji listened enthralled, "I will stay with him because he is worth it to me. And that Reiji is how I truly feel about all this and I am very certain, but I do appreciate your concern for me. Thank you" she placed her hand on top of his.
"And now I am certain" he smiled as he bowed his head, "I won't erase your memory. Not just for Katsuya's sake but for yours as well Miss Kamiya."
"Stephanie. You don't have to be so formal Reiji."
"Stephanie then" he nodded, "I promise I'll do everything I can to protect you as well."
"You don't have to do that" she shook her head.
"No I have to" he insisted, "I made a promise to Katsuya a long time ago. A blood oath."
"Blood oath?"
"Yes" he nodded, "The two of us promised to one another to always protect what the other held dear. That's why he defended me that day to Yamato and I will do the same for him."
"As you wish" she agreed as Katsuya arrived, "Kaye?"
"Hey. I've been looking all over the place for you" Katsuya said out of breath, "You've been here the whole time?"
"We were just chatting" Reiji replied as he stood from the chair, "I have something I have to do so I'll leave you two alone" he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away with a grin.
"What was that all about?" Katsuya asked as he took the seat that his cousin had just vacated.
"Nothing. He just wanted to talk to me," she said placing her head onto the back of his hand lovingly.
"What are you doing?" he asked confused at her response, "Your face feels wet. Have you been crying?"
"A little" she nodded.
"Why? Oh" he realized, "Is it because I have been ignoring you."
"Huh?" she raised her head in surprise, "No."
"I'm sorry" Kaye replied, "That's what I came looking for you for. I've been such a complete idiot. Real insensitive and very hurtful towards you."
"Katsuya" she said, "You needed some down time. I understand that. But I do wish that you had confided in me if you were hurting."
"In that case, from now on I won't keep it to myself. If I have a problem, I'll come to you first."
"Mhm" she nodded this time placing her head onto his shoulder, "Me too."
From where he stood Reiji watched them with hope in his heart.
"Maybe. Maybe this time it will all turn out differently. Maybe this girl will be the answer we have been searching for and maybe I too can eventually see the one I love again" he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, "Sara. I miss you."
(Next Scene)
When he arrived home Reiji took off his shoes, threw his bag to the side, and walked over to his father's piano sitting down at once. He started to play a soft piano tune slowly at first but soon with so much feeling that by the end of it he too was crying. Not for the painful memory of the past but because of the hope for better things to come in the future. And that gave him more comfort then he had ever thought possible.
(Till Next Time)
Authors Note: Hey guys! I'm back. I changed the title a little for this chapter because while I was away I came up with this story background for Reiji. Reiji next to Katsuya is also one of my favorite Zodiac members. He has the cool looks of his father like nothing can bother him but also a deep passion for life more so then his father ever did. And when he plays it's a lot like when Tohru sings, with so much feeling. I think he's a really neat character and I hoped you enjoyed hearing a little more about him in this chapter. Trust me you are going to be seeing lots of him in the future, as well as the other members of the Zodiac. See you all tomorrow for the next chapter!
Next time on Curse Renewed:
Chapter Twelve: Yamato meets the American
The head of the Zodiac meets Katsuya's girlfriend for the first time. Don't miss a minute!