This is an AU story pertaining to a possible beginning of the world, and explaining some possibilities for the start of the curse. It does go into curses besides that of the Chinese Zodiac, mostly reflecting on the Celestial (or Western) Zodiac, and touches on the Celtic (Shadow) Zodiac as well.
The Story of the World
In the Beginning, the world was nothing more than fire and dusty stone. Darkness took claim of everything, and monstrous fiends wandered the earth freely. They lived their lives free of laws, save one 'to fear thy master'. Above the world lurked a mighty dragon with lightning for breath and scales as black as obsidian. His eyes held all the evil of the worlds and darkness flowed from him like a sweet deadly fog. He was simply called the Dragon of Chaos. He molded the world with his powers, amused at the torture it caused the fiends living there, and refined the shape until it was perfect, then he went to his creation, and all was in Chaos.
Thousands of years past, and the dragon ruled his world, but things began to change. The demons took on different forms, some were powerful, and some became misshapen and weak. The Dragon was amused with the weaker creatures, and named them 'human'. He delighted in watching them crawl around, and become meals for the more powerful, yet declining demons. There was one being in particular he hated the most. A bird with wings that lit aflame, and caused the darkened lands to light where ever he went. That bird gained many friends and followers, who adored him for the light. His name was Phoenix. A battle sparked between the Dragon of Chaos and Phoenix. They fought and when their breath weapons collided, the Sun was forged. The powerful force of the blast also cracked the world and broke off a small hunk, creating the Moon. Both the Dragon and the Phoenix were evenly matched.
With the creation of the sun, light was cast on the world for the first time. The demon races, so used to the darkness hid themselves away underground, or burst into flames at the light's touch. New living things were allowed to exist where the demons once roamed, and Phoenix protected them. The humans became more powerful and numerous, and they loved Phoenix. The Dragon became enraged and began to draw together an army of demons. Phoenix, seeing this, also began gathering his most trusted friends. War raged between their armies, and in the end, Phoenix' army was able to defeat the Dragon. To keep the world safe from him, Phoenix locked the Dragon away in the sky by burning his body into a group of stars. He then selected thirteen of his closest friends to guard the Dragon to make sure he never escaped. Those thirteen formed a bonding circle around the Dragon to ensure he would never escape again.
Birth of the Zodiacs
Disorder had ruled the world for a long time, so Phoenix and his allies agreed that they needed to put some order to the way the world ran. Since there was now a Sun and a Moon, there was dark night ruled by the moon, and bright day, ruled by the Sun. The fighting between the great armies had cause the world to spin and rotate around the Sun. The Phoenix watched the planet move, counted how many days it took to rotate completely in a circle and named that rotation a year. Each year had a certain number of days which were divided by seasons and months, which each month was given to the thirteen Guardian spirits: Sagittarius the Horse, Capricornus the Goat, Aquarius the Eagle, Pisces the Fish, Aires the Ram, Taurus the Bull, Gemini and Gemis the Wolf twins, Cancer the Crab, Leo the Lion, Virgos the Dove, Libras the Jackal, and Scorpios the Scorpion. Gemini and Gemis shared in guarding their month. These Thirteen Spirits became known as the 'Celestial Zodiac'.
It took twelve years for the earth to be exactly where it was to start off. Phoenix thought to himself that he would leave this issue up to his trusted friend, the Jade Emporer, to decide how to protect the years. Sixty years after being asked to determine the order of years, the Jade Emperor held a contest on the ninth day of the first month. A race would be held to determine who would protect which year. It was later named that the years would be guarded by the Nezuu the Rat, Sius the Ox, Zatora the Tiger, Lepka the Rabbit, Yazihai the Chinese Dragon, Daishou the Snake, Equmi the Horse, Kamikai the Sheep, Monaru the Monkey, Katorus the Rooster, Inuca the Dog, and Shishou the Boar. Koneku the Cat had not been present for the race, since his friend Nezuu told him the race was at a later time, and he slept through it. He had been deceived by the Rat and was not allowed a place in protecting time for his foolishness. He later became cursed by his own hatred. These Twelve Spirits, excluding the Cat, became known as the 'Chinese Zodiac'
That left thirteen of Phoenix' allies without time to protect. He had noticed while watching the world that the moon became full to the earth thirteen times in a year, once every 28 days. These thirteen lunar months were given to his other thirteen companions: Damh the Stag, Draig the Wyvern, Nathair the Adder, Sionnach the Fox, Geàrr the Hare, Cailleach the Owl, Dòbhran the Otter, Bubhall the Unicorn, Braden the Salmon, Eala the Swan, Dealan-dé the Butterfly, Cu the Hound, and Bran the Raven. These Thirteen Spirits were given the name the 'Shadow Zodiac'. Each Spirit in the Shadow Zodiac also shared his or her month with a Tree Spirit, who were wise and acted as Guardians of the Time Keepers.
War of the Zodiacs
The system seemed to work at first, and time was in order, but it soon became obvious that there were too many guardians of time. The Phoenix was unsure on what to do. Disputes broke out, and war raged amongst the proclaimed time keepers for sole control of the workings of time. At the edge of a great field in the Heavens, both the Celestial Zodiac and Chinese Zodiac waged their war over time, their powers threatened to destroy everything, and the world trembled. The mighty Gods of Time were on the verge of destroying the very thing they cared about most. It was at that time, when the world would have been destroyed during the chaos, the Phoenix came to the Jade Emperor, who watched over the Guardians of the Years, and they decided to settle the matter peaceably, before their world was torn apart. The ruling entities banded together and split the world in half, allowing the Eastern half to be ruled by the Twelve Chinese Spirits, led by the Jade Emperor, and the Western half ruled by the Twelve Celestial Spirits led by the Phoenix. The war was thought to be over.
The members of the Shadow Zodiac always felt neglected. The time they were granted to rule was in the shadow of the more prominent Celestial Zodiac, and they did not get celebrated nearly as much. Unhappy with their place, the Animal Spirits went against their Tree Spirits' choice to live with what they had, and rebelled against the Phoenix. The Chinese Zodiac had little to fear from the Shadow Zodiac, since they ruled the Eastern half of the world, but the Celestial Zodiac was attacked relentlessly by the lesser Zodiac. The Shadow Zodiac was defeated, and as punishment, they lost their title as 'Time Guardians', their spirits meant to be locked eternally in oblivion. The Tree Spirits, missing their Animal brethren, went searching for them. When they found out what happened, they came before the Phoenix to ask forgiveness, but were taken captive and punished for allowing the Animal Spirits to rebel so freely.
Death of the Zodiacs
The Dragon of Chaos had remained in his prison in the stars for many, many years before speaking to anyone. He noticed the Shadow Zodiac and was amused by the dissention of his rivals allies. He watched as they wandered in Oblivion, still compelled to follow their path as time keepers. He believed that he might be able to use them to escape into the world again. The Dragon offered to set the Animal Spirits free from their spiritual tomb, and together they would go against the Celestial Zodiac. The Owl and Salmon, who were the wisest of them, agreed with the Dragon, but it was the younger Stag, Swan and Raven who suggested only using the Dragon's help to escape. It was agreed by the Adder, Unicorn , Otter, and Hound that such a creature was locked away for a reason and should never be trusted or freed. It was the cunning Fox who orchestrated their deal with the Dragon in the end, the Butterfly furthered to cover their deceit with his magic, and the Hare who led the escape once free. The Wyvern stood alone, not wishing to have any dealings with the Chaos Dragon. The Members of the Shadow Zodiac were freed by the Dragon, but betrayed him and left him trapped in the stars.
The Dragon was enraged by their betrayal, but could do nothing. The Fox learned that their Tree Spirits were captured, and it was the Swan who demanded they rescue them. He led the charge against the Celestial Zodiac, followed by his comrades in a vain attempt at rescuing their counterparts, but they failed. Knowing the Shadow Zodiac would only cause more trouble, the Phoenix decided to disable them completely. He twisted their bodies and destroyed their forms, leaving them as mutilated monstrosities that were a mere mockery of their former selves. This twisted form was imprinted on their souls. Each one then burst into eternal flame, which burned flesh from bone, and released the souls of the spirits. Their bodies were destroyed, and rather than cast the souls of his former comrade into Oblivion, the Phoenix chose to trap the souls in a spiral of resurrection. Each spirit would be reborn repeatedly through time, and from that the curse of the Shadow Zodiac was forged. The Tree Spirits were also stripped of their powers and bound to their respective Animal Spirits to act as guides through their multiple lives.
Shortly after the decent of the Shadow Zodiac, the Celestial Zodiac also met their downfall. Over time, the Dragon of Chaos had been gathering all his power together. One day, he managed to escape his prison, and broke free of his bonds by attacking Gemini and Gemis and breaking them apart. He forced his way to the world below, followed by the dark promise of eternal chaos that had reigned on the world during his rule. His time on Earth was short however. To restore the world to the state it had been, he attempted to destroy the Sun by swallowing it whole, but as soon as the world became dark, the people of the world turned against the Dragon. Using almost anything they had, the humans created awful noises to frighten the Dragon. They banged on pots and pans, played horrible noisy instruments, and threw breakable objects at the ground to make the sound. The Dragon was revolted by the humans, and found himself being drained of power. He was forced to give the Sun back to them. The Phoenix came, and retaliated against the weakening Dragon, further destroying him by placing a binding spell on him. The spell sapped away at the Dragon's power, age, and great size. He would then be returned to his prison in the stars and frozen there forever. As he was to be apprehended by his Celestial Guardians, the Dragon spit out a curse at them. The curse affected all of the guardians, even the Phoenix, and burned their bodies into the sky. Their tortured spirits were drawn out and forced into human bodies. However, his curse backfired on him and drew his spirit into a human body as well, and thus the Celestial Zodiac Curse was also forged.
Many years past, and the Jade Emperor was left alone to watch over the Chinese Zodiac. The humans on the Western side of the world kept time as the Celestial Zodiac had, their bodies eternally etched into the stars as reminders of what had been. The Chinese Zodiac kept time, but the Jade Emperor felt the Spirits were drifting from him. He created a spell to bind their spirits to him and each other. At this same time, the Outcast Koneku, the Cat, had fallen in love with a human girl named Hinata Sohma. She was able to love him, even though he was a monster. She was able to see beyond that, and knew the Cat still had a good heart. She created a rosary that bound the darkness in the Cat's heart and let his true self show through, and she loved him. Nezuu the Rat became jealous and bitter towards the Cat, believing his only purpose was to suffer, and to love a human was a betrayal to them. First he tried to break them apart by attempting to convince Hinata that she was doing something gravely wrong by loving the Cat, but she would not listen, and her love for the Cat only grew stronger. He then brought the issue to the Jade Emperor, but he did nothing. Finally the Rat spoke out against the Cat openly to the other Spirits, and some of them followed him. In the end, the Rat killed the Cat which caused a chain of deaths amongst the Spirits, including the Rat and the Jade Emperor. The sudden deaths enraged the souls of the spirits, and they became vengeful, and eventually cursed. What none of them knew was that Hinata Sohma was carrying the Cat Spirit's child, who was born possessed by the spirit of the Cat. Each spirit showed up again within the Sohma family, and through the generations since, there has always been the Twelve Spirits, as well as the Jade Emperor and the Cat, and this forged the Chinese Zodiac Curse
The Curse of the Zodiacs
The Chinese Zodiac:
The Spirits of the Chinese Zodiac are bound to the Sohma family in Japan. Each member possessed by the Spirit will transform into the animal representative of their Spirit if they are hugged by the opposite sex, or if they become too stressed or ill. Their transformations represent their inability to ever become truly close to anyone, and their constant struggle through the pain and burden of their Spirits' curse. Despite the curse being caused by the Rat's jealous acts, it is the Cat who is believed to hold the cure for the curse. Traditionally, the Cat is locked away before they reach the age of 18. The Spirit of the Jade Emperor is housed in the Head of the Sohma family, and this individual usually lives a short life, bound by the pain and burden of the entire Sohma curse.
The Celestial Zodiac:
The Spirits of the Celestial Zodiac are bound to the Atsuka family in Europe. Each member possessed by the Spirit will transform into the animal representative of their Spirit if they are hugged by the opposite sex, or if they become too stressed or ill. Also, each member has a specific sound which will also trigger a transformation if heard. Their transformations also represent their inability to be close to anyone, and their constant struggle through the pain and burden of their Spirits' curse. The sounds represent the various sounds each Spirit convinced the humans to use to weaken the Dragon of Chaos. The Phoenix acts as the head of the family, and watches over the rest of the Spirits, including the Dragon. The curse was caused by the Dragon of Chaos, who is believed capable of breaking it, but the method of which is unknown, and the Dragons tend to die before they reach the age of 25. The Dragon carries the burden of the curse, as well as the outcast Demon Spirit of the Dragon of Chaos, bound only by a binding ring around his neck.
The Shadow Zodiac:
The Spirits of the Shadow Zodiac are bound to the O'Bryne family in Ireland. Each member possessed by the Spirit will transform into the animal representative of their Spirit if they are hugged or kissed by the opposite sex, or if they become too stressed or ill. Also, each member has a Tree Spirit who watches over them, and is able to cause a transformation or reverse it. Their transformations also represent their inability to be close to anyone, and their constant struggle through the pain and burden of their Spirits' curse. Each member of the Shadow Zodiac are outcasts, and possess a more demonic form which must be bound. Three nights out of the year during the full moon of their ruling month, each member will transform into their demonic form uncontrollably. No one member of the family seems to possess the entire curse, or the ability to lift it. The O'Bryne curse seems directly affected by the Atsuka and Sohma curses, and the family is reluctantly bound to the Celestial curse.
Spiral of Time
Hatred is a powerful emotion, and the bitter pain of loss and death lingers within each of the cursed members of the Zodiacs. It drives each to blindly hate each other, and places a desire to fight within each. Fear, confusion, hatred, and a compelling drive to fight or draw near. This is the true nature of the curse.
Time past, and the spirals of resurrection allowed the Spirits to be reborn over and over again within their chosen families. Now, since each spirit is present, they feel compelled to draw close together. Will war break out amongst the Zodiacs again, or will their joined existences finally break the curses that bind them to their respective families? Could this mean disaster for them, the possible resurrection of the more hated demons that lurk just under the surface, or freedom? How do you stop time when you are meant to guard it, and how much time is left before the fate of the world is determined? All that is known is that time and history have a tendency of repeating.