The Kitsune

Chapter 2

I am the Fox

My eyed widened. He smiled at me, but it was a smile without comfort. His strangely violet eyes were icily cold. He lazily stood up, which caused his messy black hair to fall into in pale face.

"W-who are you?" I managed.

"I am Akito Sohma, the head of the Sohma family."

Suddenly, a wave of panic flew through me. What on Earth is going on? Where am I and why am I here? Seeing my expression he spoke:

"Ah yes. Much needs to be explained..." he said as he examined a loose thread on his yukata's sleeve. His tone was as though the matter was as important as tomorrow's lunch. This immediately earned my resentment.

"Where am I!" I yelled, without restraint.

An amused smile met my question which caused my resentment to spark into a boiling hate.

"My my, you're being just awful, aren't you? But of course... after all you've been through," he spoke with a sick sort of pity, "and living a false life..." he trailed off and took a step closer.

My eyes widened. 'False life?'

"W-what do you mean?" I asked quietly, stunned.

Adrenaline began coursing through my system. I wanted to run, but I was suddenly aware of pains in my chest. Broken ribs?

"Where am I!" I demanded again.

"This is the Sohma family main house," he replied.

Sohma family?

"Kira Yoshi... you realize that isn't your real name? Those Kira people... weren't your parents. Your name is Sohma Ai." He sighed, seemingly bored.

"Kira Yukari agreed to take you in when offered a small amount of money. She was in, shall we say, a financial low point in life."

"You're... You're mad!" I shouted.

Ignoring my outburst, he continued, "You're father's name was Sohma Kenshin. And your mother was some outsider... what was here name again?" his brow furrowed in concentration, "Oh right... it was Kinagawa. Kinagawa Sanaee. What a sad woman... poor woman. To be involved with the Tiger and then give birth to the Fox..." He smiled.

Tiger? Fox? What the Hell? My head was spinning.

"The curse of the Sohma's..." his voice was almost a whisper, "The curse our family must bear..." His face was still smiling.

Yeah. This guy was definitely insane.

"Curse? What curse?" I asked, amusement pulling at the corners of my lips. This was all ridiculous. It's a dream. Just a dream.

His expression turned angry.

"Yes, the Zodiac Curse. The one that you are afflicted with." He seemed to be annoyed that I doubted his word.

I just blinked in response. I was beginning to be a bit afraid of this guy's manic behavior, and since I could think of nothing that wasn't snide to say, I remained quiet.

"You see a long time ago, God told all the animals...,"

He related to me the story of the banquet of the Zodiac animals and the Rat's trickery of the Cat,

"But, there is another part of the legend that is not shared with any other member of the Zodiac; the part that pertains to you."

Though logically, I thought this man must be touched in the head, I felt myself beginning to believe it. I couldn't explain why.

"God did not really invite all the animals; there was one other, the canny Fox."

I felt suddenly aware of a presence within me. It wasn't new, it had always been there, but now I felt more strongly than ever. It was almost like... a tingling sensation.

"God knew that the Fox had a bit of a mischievous side, and he didn't want his banquet to be ruined by some sort of elaborate prank, so he decided against inviting the Fox."

"The Fox, infuriated everyone but he had been invited, made up his mind to just go anyway. About an hour after it started, the banquet was in full swing when the Fox burst forth through God's dining hall door..."

The airy tone hardened.

"...and insisted he join them. God was so furious that he thrust the trespassing Fox out of his palace so forcefully, as the legend goes, he crashed straight through the Earth and landed in the Underworld."

"There, the Fox met many terrible creatures. They say this was the origin of the very first Kitsune Youkai."

Akito fixed his half-lidded violet stare on me. He walked toward me and reached out, gingerly seizing a strand of my long auburn hair.

"The Fox... was a dreadful creature... That means...you must be dreadful too, doesn't it?" He smiled again.

The spirit felt as though it were on fire. I wanted so badly to hit Akito. I clenched my fists and bit back an irate retort. Somehow I kept my voice slightly polite, though inside, I was seething:

"But how would you know if I am dreadful? You've only just met me."

He was about to speak when another voice interrupted.

"Akito-san, I have returned."

The voice belonged to a man of about twenty-six. He had reddish brown hair and eyes that matched.

"Kureno." Akito let go of my hair, "I hope you didn't disturb anything on the outside."

"No, Akito-san."

"Good. Oh and this," he tossed his head lazily in my direction, ", is Sohma Ai."

Kureno looked at my curiously for a moment, and then bowed, "Yoroshiku, Ai-san."

I attempted to bow in return, but a pain in my chest shot through me like a knife as I did so. I hissed. Cringing, I inclined my head.

"Yoroshiku, Kureno-san."

"Kureno, take Ai to Hatori. She seems to have sustained some minor injuries," he yawned, "Come right back. Understood?" Akito ordered.

He treated him like a servant.

"...Yes Akito-san."

Kureno led me out of the building. He directed me trough the compound, all the buildings built in the same style. After about three minutes of following him, staring at his back, and maddening silence, I brought myself to ask the one question constantly bombarding my mental awareness.

"Is the Zodiac Curse... really...real?" I asked, rather lamely.

He stopped and turned around. 'Maybe it's all a weird joke Akito's playing on me and I'm such a naïve idiot, I believed it...' I though densely, thinking that Kureno probably thought I was some sort of delusional nut-case. I felt like I was melting under his stare. He sighed, but not exasperatedly... it was...sorrowful.

"I wish I could say it were not."

He then began to lead the way once more. I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Damn it. I guess this was all to be by new reality... But I felt as though I had broken the ice. So, I dared to speak again:

"I don't understand. How can I have lived with a curse for seventeen years and not noticed it? What does to curse...do?"

"Those possessed with the spirits of the Zodiac animals transform into their Zodiac animals when under great stress, physically or emotionally, or when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex. The Juunishi, as we are called, also share certain characteristics in our appearance and personalities with out Zodiac animal."

'As we are called'? He must be a part of it too...

"How...strange..." I mused aloud.

Well, it certainly would explain eleven years at Murasaki-sama's School For Girls in Kobe. Thoughts of boarding school led to thoughts of home. Thoughts of home led to thoughts of them. Yukari and Minoru... What... cruel ends they were fated. Tears poured silently down my cheeks.

"We're here," said Kureno as he turned and indicated the destination with his hand. As he faced me, he noticed the tears.

Surprised, he asked "Dai...jobu... ka?"

He seemed uncomfortable.

"H-hai, I'm fine," I lied. I didn't want to worry him, nor did I want to enlighten him as to why I was crying.

"If you're sure... Here is Hatori's," he said, motioning again toward the building to our left. I realized I didn't know who he was talking about.

"Who is Hatori?" I asked.

"He's the Sohma family doctor," he replied.

"Is he part of the Zodiac?"

"Yes."

I felt no urge to question further. Kureno wasn't exactly the "social" type.

I followed him as he walked up the wooden steps. He opened the sliding door and called "Hatori!"

After a beat, a man appeared in the doorway.

"Kureno? What are you doing here without Akito?" he asked, mildly surprised.

Kureno explained and Hatori nodded. Hatori placed a hand on my shoulder and led me inside. Kureno politely excused himself, for Akito had told him to return immediately.

"So... you are Ai?" he asked.

I just nodded. Social niceties weren't on my mind at the moment. But then I thought, 'If this man is the Sohma doctor, he surely must know my parents!' But he didn't seem very old... He probably wasn't even thirty... But...

"Did you know my parents?" I blurted.

He fixed his eerily yellow eyes on me.

"Sohma... Kenshin was something like a second cousin, but I never got to know Kinagawa-san well."

Why does everyone refer to them in past tense?

"Do you... do you know...why...er...why I was...sent away?"

He looked thoughtfully at me for a moment.

"The strange part about the Fox is, unlike the other thirteen Zodiac animals-"

"Thirteen?" I asked quizzically.

"Including the Cat," he clarified.

"Oh...right."

"As I was saying, the Fox is not reborn into the family, necessarily, after the death of the current Fox. Sometimes an entire generation can pass without the fox showing up again... I believe the last fox died in the 1950's..."

"Traditionally, when the Fox is reborn again, it is outcast and raised away from the family. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the Fox dared to defy God in the beginning... but that is mere speculation."

"And," I began timidly, "are my parents... do you know..." I trailed off to conceal a lump in my throat.

"Kenshin... died of severe pneumonia sixteen years ago and Kinagawa-san has forgotten...about him and you."

My eyes widened.

"Her memory was erased of us to help ease the pain of losing her husband and only child."

My mouth felt unusually dry.

"Of course," I whispered, "how else could the curse be kept secret?"

I felt my eyes begin to water once more.

"Now," he started, changing the subject, "you were sent to me because of injuries?"

I choked back tears.

I told him about the pains in my chest. My suspicion of broken ribs was confirmed. Then, with medication to numb the pain and tight bandages, he said that was really all he could do.

"Where are you staying?" he asked me.

I shrugged and immediately regretted it.

"Try not to move too much. Akito didn't say where...?"

"No."

"Alright well... I guess I will go and ask him," he decided, "Just wait here."

As he left I thought 'Life sure has taken a drastic turn. But... I have yet to decide if it's for better... or for worse.'

Chapter two from Rinjii-chan :3

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