That crucial day was a Saturday, and everyone was free to go to the ritual. In the morning, Hatori and Yukina was preparing for the event. While Yukina was dressing up, Hatori walked over to her and hugged her from behind.

"Promise me that you will not give up your life in any circumstances," he whispered into her ear.

Yukina held his hands, which were in front of her, and said, "I will promise you, Hatori, but I value the freedom of all of you than my life…"

There was a glint in her eyes that signified that she would not change her mind about the matter, and not wanting to hear any more, Hatori kissed her deeply on the lips, while wondering if this would be the last time they had the chance to talk to each other in this fashion.

Reluctantly, they separated from each other, and Yukina went to fetch a hooded cape that she bought earlier. The idea was suggested by Hatori, for the less people that recognised her, the more she would be able to lead a normal life in the future. Besides, Yukina did not want to let the other teenagers to know that she would be doing this, for they too might try to prevent her, and she needed all her energy to lift the curse, rather than waste her energy arguing with them.

She put on the cloak and pulled on the hood, shielding her face from view, which was exactly what she wanted. On the other hand, Shigure informed all the cursed Soumas to gather at the shrine of the main house, saying that they were just having a gathering of the twelve animals, and it was Akito's wish.

After that, Hatori and Yukina went to the shrine, where Shigure and Akito were doing some preparations. Akito smiled hesitatingly at Yukina as she saw her.

"Yukina-chan…it's not too late, you can still refuse to do this…it's too dangerous," she said pleadingly.

Yukina held up a hand, "I'm sorry, Akito-san, but I have already decided…"

Akito sighed and gestured towards the plaques arranged neatly on a slab.

"These are the memorials of our ancestors, for I have an instinct that the curse was brought onto us by them, Yukina-chan…"

She nodded, and then followed Shigure to a room at the back of the shrine, where she would wait until everybody arrived before she showed herself.

One by one, the rest of the Soumas arrived and gathered at the Souma main shrine. They whispered to each other excitedly, wondering what was the reason they were summoned her on this day. From the back, Yukina could recognise Yuki, Kyou, Haru, and Momiji from the ones who looked younger. Besides, she also saw Hatori, Shigure and Ayame from the grownup side.

Staring curiously, she could see a pair of children, a boy and a girl, holding hands while looking around apprehensively. From her instincts, she guessed that they must be cursed by the tiger and the ram. Then, she saw a dark, gorgeous girl with long black hair talking to Haru, and immediately thought of a beautiful black stallion. Besides, she saw a man with reddish-brown hair, a woman with long blondish hair, and a girl with dark brown hair, and perceived them as the rooster, the monkey, and the boar respectively.

In her heart, she did a mental count, and found that everybody had arrived. Taking a deep breath, she gestured to Akito, who started to welcome them.

"Everyone, today I gathered all of you here to perform a ritual…I have found someone that is hopefully able to lift the curse from each and every one of us, so that our future would not be stained by it, and we can pursue our own dreams and desires without being dragged down by the past…"

A murmur rose in the area, from the people who did not know that Yukina was the person Akito was talking about. They were elated with the thought of being free from the curse once and for all, and could not quite contain their excitement.

Slowly, Yukina came into the shrine, taking care to conceal herself properly with the cloak. The others fell silent, watching her closely.

She walked in front of the plaques of their ancestors, and muttered something like an incantation, with a hand on her heart. In a moment, a strong wind blew into the shrine, although the doors and windows of the shrine were securely closed.

To those who did not know who was concealed under the cloak, they were shocked as the wind blew stronger and stronger until it whipped the hood off Yukina's face. All of them gasped, as some of them recognised Yukina, but the others gasped because they found out that the person supposed to lift the curse from them was actually just a young girl.

"How is she supposed to lift the curse from us…she is even younger than I am, and I have been trying for so long…" this came from Isuzu Rin Souma, as she stared suspiciously at Yukina. However, she was hushed by Haru, who was standing beside her, and he smiled at her.

"Rin…try to relax and let others shoulder the burden for a change. I assure you, if anyone is capable of doing that, it would be Yukina," Haru whispered, putting an arm around her lightly.

Rin became silent and looked at the cloaked girl in front of her, whose face was now revealed.

At the same time, Hatori was giving his full concentration on Yukina, who was turning paler and paler by the second. It appeared that she was doing her very best to summon the power hidden deep inside her, and he worried that it will cause some harm to her body.

Slowly, ten minutes passed, and the Soumas began to stir uneasily. Suddenly, a translucent figure formed in front of the plaques of their ancestors.

"Grandfather?" gasped Kazuma, who was watching the scene from behind.

The others in the room started, as they saw the translucent figure forming the image of an old man that only Kazuma could recognize.

"Yukina-chan…you have returned at last…" the figure started to speak in a soft, silvery voice.

"Yes…you have fulfilled your duty and vow to protect me. Now, you can finally rest in peace…thanks for all you have done for me…" Yukina looked straight at Kazuma's grandfather and said.

Then, she bowed down low to the spirit, and it returned the bow.

"You are welcome…I must fulfil the promise my ancestors left me, Yukina-chan. you must have had much suffering in the past…" he looked at her gently.

Yukina shook her head. "No…I'm very happy now, and I have already forgotten the past…today I'm here to lift the curse from your descendants…can you help me with it?"

Only then, the spirit realised that his descendants were all around him, staring with wonder.

"I'm afraid that I can't manage it, Yukina-chan. The curse was not cast by me, but by my ancestors as punishment to us for lacking in promises. Thanks for releasing me from my guilt, Yukina-chan…I have to leave Earth now and rest in solitude somewhere else…goodbye…" the spirit waved and smiled, finally able to have his mind at rest from losing the "thing" his ancestors had to protect.

Yukina tried to stop him, but she was too late. Now, she had only herself to lift the curse, and she was going to do it, no matter what might happen. She stared around at the uneasy faces around her, and she felt her powers increasing by a surge of desire to help them.

Finally, she sensed her energy overpowering the resentment radiating from the animal spirits within each of the Souma, and a wind blew into the shrine again. However, this time it was a soft, soothing wind, different from the one just now. She channelled her power into the thoughts of pacifying and dispersing the vengeful animal spirits, feeling her own life force growing weaker.

At last, she threw her arms in front of her, and everyone could see a bright light spreading out to them, covering and dazzling them.

"This family had carried out their duty, now it's your turn to forgive them…please; this is my desire…everyone…"

Gradually, all the cursed Soumas could feel the animal spirits leaving their bodies, turning into transparent animal figures as they left. Hatori removed his eyes from Yukina to look at his own animal that had possessed him for such a long time. He got the shock of his life as he found out that it was not a small puny seahorse as usual, but a strong, full-grown dragon that whipped its tail left and right as it left.

"Since it is your wish, we shall leave their bodies, but we won't tolerate another lapse, and all of you would do well to remember it…" it was the words left by the god and his animals as they floated away into the sky.

Yukina had exhausted the last of her energy in convincing the animal spirits to leave the bodies of the thirteen cursed Soumas together with the 'god' that possessed Akito. Once she finished, she coughed out a mouthful of blood, staining the floor of the shrine bright red and fell to the floor, unconscious.