Reiji slowly opened his eyes and gazed around him sleepily.
"What?" he blinked, "Where am I? How did I get here?" he raised his head slightly, "The last thing I remember was.. Ouch!" he suddenly shouted as he bumped his head on the top of the tube, "What the?" he said scratching his head perplexed, "What is this thing?" he yelled as he began to pound on the glass.
Moments later after pounding as hard as he could Reiji had awoken Sakura who woke up Kanako and so on and so forth until every last member of the Zodiac minus Yamato were awake.
"What a strange device we've found ourselves in" Katsuya replied feeling the glass all around him.
"I know" Reiji nodded his voice echoing off of his tube, "What's even more amazing is that we can hear each other."
"It must be these holes," Katsuya pointed out at the breathing holes that were at the top of the glass in his tube while Akito awoke Yamato who was beginning to ask questions, "They're large enough so we can."
"What's going on around here?" Yamato said through gritted teeth, "Whose responsible for this kidnapping?"
"I'm scared" Angel replied.
"I want to go home!" Naoko added.
"Now. Now. Don't be afraid," Takara said gently, "We're all here together. You're not alone."
"She's right" Reiji nodded reassuring them making Daisuke and Raiu nod energetically, "As long as we stick together we'll be all right."
"I want my mama!" Takuto cried into his the back of his hands.
"Don't cry Takuto" Krysta replied, "It's gonna be okay."
"I wish though" Akito began, "That we knew who was behind this Master Yamato."
"I'll give you one guess," Katsuya said sarcastically crossing his arms as his twin sister frowned and nodded.
"You mean you know?"
"I've got a pretty good idea."
(Next Scene)
"Sir" Ichirou Nakagami replied as he entered Tai's office once more.
"Yes? What is it Ichirou?" Tai nodded swiveling his chair in his direction.
"Preparations for the ceremony are complete."
"Excellent" Tai grinned menacingly, "Now all we have to do is wait for our honored guests. They're running late. They had better hurry or they are going to miss all the fun" he chuckled on the last line, "Get the prisoners ready and have your son escort our other honored guests from their cell. I wouldn't want them to miss this either."
"Yes sir" Ichirou nodded almost departing.
"Oh and Ichirou."
"Yes sir?"
"The stone. I want you personally to get the Zodiac stone ready."
"The Zodiac stone?"
(Next Scene)
"The Zodiac stone?" Arisa and Kandis said at the same time.
"Yes" Shigure nodded as he rode along side Hatori who was driving the second of three vans that the Sohmas had taken to retrieve their children.
"I didn't really understand your explanation about the stone back at the house Shigure" Kandis replied, "Could you perhaps explain it in more detail."
"From what I understand, the Zodiac stone is the means to solving the Zodiac curse."
"What?" everyone but Hatori and Ayame exclaimed.
"Well when I was a young boy I had a dream."
"What sort of dream?" Arisa asked.
"For the longest time I wasn't sure myself what it was all about, but I suppose it was the main reason I started researching the Zodiac curse to begin with. It's history and possibly a way to break it. The dream was always the same. I was in line behind all the Zodiac animals minus the dog because that's what I was. One by one the animals went up to this altar where this strange triangular stone was sitting. It was actually pretty medium sized instead of large. And it was completely blue."
"Blue?" Akito raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm. And by blue I mean it even shined blue. A thousand shades of blue sparkled around it. As I got closer to the altar I saw that a person was standing behind the stone. And strangely enough it was a woman."
"A woman?" Kureno spoke up surprised.
"Yes. But I never saw her face. Only her hair. It was long and brown."
"Long and brown?" Kandis replied being the third person to repeat what Shigure was saying.
"Yes. I kept having this dream for several nights. I never could figure it out so I started to do research and what better way to do it then to start with the Zodiac since the animals were in my dream right? It took many years to unravel a lot of it and the only two people that I told about the dream were Hari and Aya. And I am ashamed to say that for a time, once I discovered that the dream was leading me finally to solve the Zodiac curse, I believed that Tohru was the girl in my dream."
"Tohru?" Kandis said, "Well she does have long brown hair."
"So is that why you let her stay with you for so long?" Arisa asked.
"Hmm" Shigure nodded, "I admit that that was my original motive. That changed after awhile."
"So that's why" Akito said, "That's why you were so insistent that she stay with you."
"Yes. Forgive me Akito. I'm sorry for deceiving you. When Tohru and Kandis had temporarily solved the curse I thought my dream had come true. I mean she could have been the girl in my dreams as well."
"So if itisn't Tohru or I?" Kandis replied, "Who's the girl in your dreams?"
"I don't know" Shigure shrugged, "I guess we won't find out until we arrive at our destination."
"Which as far as I can tell," Hatori said speaking up, "Kyo's be turning down a lot of different back roads. We have got to be nearly there."
(Next Scene)
"Are we heading where I think we're heading?" Yuki asked Kyo as he turned their van down another back road.
"Yes" Kyo nodded, "It's the warehouse from before. That's where the kids are."
"Well I'll give him two thumbs down for originality" Haru replied sarcastically, "Come on Kyo. Let's hurry. It's getting dark."
"Relax Haru. We'll make it" Kyo reassured him confidentially, "We're almost there."
(Next Scene)
A guard whispered in Tai's ear and he grinned satisfactorily to himself.
"Good work. Give them lots of room to enter" he replied and the guard bowed before departing.
He was standing up on a platform overlooking the tube machine. Down below the occupants of the monstrous machine were beginning to wonder what was going on because they could see so many different people running around.
"What do you think is going on?" Sakura replied a little worried.
"I have no idea" Kaye shook his head.
"Do you think this has got something to do with that Big plan that Tsukasa told us about?" Reiji suggested.
"I don't know. Could be."
"Speaking of Tsukasa" Sakura pointed, "Look up there," she said indicating the platform and the boys immediately looked up.
"Huh? What?" Kaye's eyes became wide as he saw the person standing next to the boy, "No way" he pressed his against the glass as Reiji clenched his fists angrily when he saw Sara.
Up on the platform Tsukasa, Sara, and Stephanie were standing next to Tai Ushida. He smiled smugly as he turned to them to which Tsukasa and Sara frowned back while Stephanie could only look down at her friends and how helpless they all seemed.
"I'm glad the three of you could join us" Tai replied, "Mr. Nakagami, Miss Takawa, and Miss Kamiya. I trust that it will be entertaining for you."
"As if we have any choice in the matter" Sara scoffed, "So that's the crazy machine you were talking about?" she said to the girl next to her.
"Mhm" Stephanie nodded sadly.
"She's right" Sara gritted her teeth furiously, "You are a monster."
"Hmm" Tai frowned at her, "Be more wise with what you say to me Miss Takawa. And what about you Mr. Nakagami? Do you have nothing to say to me as well?"
"To the likes of you?" Tsukasa said clearly, "No. You're not worth my time" he grinned on the last line.
"Be more respectful Tsukasa" Seitarou replied kicking him in the back, "It isn't father you're talking to anymore."
"Do you think I give a damn?" he said closing his eyes as Seitarou clenched his fists angrily, "That's it big brother, get angry at me" he thought, "The more angry you are at me the easier this will be."
"Tsukasa" Stephanie said replied catching his attention at once.
"Hmm?"
"The Zodiac stone" she whispered in a horrified tone.
He looked down below and saw his father placing the medium sized triangular blue stone on an altar. The stone was connected to wires that were attached to each glass cage that contained the Zodiac members.
"What the? So that's how they're going to do it?"
"Huh?" Stephanie looked at him as he frowned even more.
"So that's their plan," he said with a worried expression.
"Katsuya" she whispered staring down at him as he looked back up at her with a look of anguish on his face as he began to pound against the glass.
Tai moved to the front of the group and cleared his throat as down below his three sons, Hayoto, Takechi, and his youngest Ginta, took their positions by the altar.
"Attention everyone!" Tai began, "I believe it's time we start. Let the ceremony begin!" he pronounced holding out his hands and the machine came to life.
Stephanie clasped her hands together as Tsukasa placed his right hand in his pocket. Everyone was so engrossed at the scene down below and before them that they didn't see him slide the small dagger out of his pocket and placing it in his palm unseen.
"Okay" Tsukasa thought, "If everything goes to plan then this ceremony will never take place. I only hope that I am ready for this. Ready or not though, I made a promise" he nodded to himself determinedly before turning around and aiming straight for Seitarou.
(Till Next Time)
Authors Note: Hey guys! Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger but it is the weekend and you'll just have to see what happens next week! Three more chapters to go!
Next Time on Curse Renewed:
Chapter Twelve: Only One Choice
Not telling!