God's Menagerie

Chapter 2: A Matter of Trust

Shigure pursed his lips in concentration, his fingers darting key to key as his world pooled into words before him. Each word, each sentence, they had to be perfect. Perfect...for this story, it wasn't just a story, but an invitation into his world, his creation, his...

With a crack of thunder, his computer shut down.

No! Shigure's eyes widened, his mouth parting in shock. No! No, no, no, no, no! When was the last time he saved...? He racked his brain, trying to come up with an answer. Shigure moaned in despair, slumping into his chair. He sat in the dark for quite a while, sulking at his loss. He had so many pages written...how could he have been so careless to not save them as he went along? His characters...his places...his...

Sighing, Shigure rose from his seat and fumbled through his desk drawers, finally retrieving a flashlight. Turning it on, he made his way to the door, managing to not trip on any of his junk in the process. He tried flipping the light switch by the door a few times, but to no avail. The power was out. Gone. Just like his story.

Opening the door, he ran his hand along the wall as he walked towards the main room. A little bit of light trickled in by the entrance way, but the house was basically dark. Good thing he was able to find his flashlight.

Lightning split the sky, followed by the booming thunder while the rain relentlessly beat against the roof. Immediately after the thunder, Shigure heard a scream, and he broke into a jog, practically throwing himself into the main room.

Tohru sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut. The boys crowded around her, trying to comfort her with words. She hated storms, oh how she hated them... They reminded her of those lonely nights without her mother when she was all alone. More lighting. More thunder. Another scream. She didn't like being weak in front of the others, but...

"Honda-san, it will be ok, we'll just find a flashlight and," Yuki paused, seeing Shigure standing in the doorway.

Shigure shined the light in their direction, the beam blinding their eyes as he scanned the group. Ignoring their complaints, he asked, "Tohru, are you okay?"

Slowly, Tohru uncurled from her ball and nodded her head. It was silly of her to be so scared when everyone was with her. She wasn't alone, she was with her family. A small smile started to grow on her lips. "Thank you, Shigure-san," she replied. Then turning to the others "Yuki-kun, Haru-kun, Momiji-kun."

Yuki returned her smile. "This storm should blow over soon. All will be okay."

The Dog walked across the room. Their little flower was trying, but she still cringed with each thunder clap. If he could only take her mind off of it... "Tooru-kun," Shigure singsonged, entering the kitchen. "I know we have candles somewhere, help me find them?"

Tohru perked up, eager to keep herself busy and not think of the storm. "Yes!" Standing, she followed Shigure's light. "There are some in a drawer next to the refrigerator..."

Once Tohru disappeared into the kitchen, Haru, usually calm and collected, started to fidget nervously, his hands reaching to one of his numerous necklaces and twisting the chain around his fingers. He didn't know what was wrong, but he suddenly had trouble keeping focus. He shivered as a prickle climbed his spine and his eyes darted across the room. With the little light, Haru saw Yuki by the window watching the storm, and Momiji was still planted at his side. He couldn't shake this feeling though, a feeling where someone was watching him... He licked his chapped lips, the moisture drying soon after. He leaned back onto his hands, inhaling slowly, trying to calm his nerves. What was wrong with him?

Momiji noticed his unease and watched Haru with concerned eyes. "Are you okay? It's alright if you're scared of the storm, too." The Rabbit offered him a tiny smile.

"I'm not scared," Haru said calmly, surprising himself. He felt a nervous wreck. "I just, I just feel like someone is watching me or something."

"Don't be silly," Yuki said, turning, but not leaving his spot by the window. "The only people in the room are us. Honda-san and Shigure are in the kitchen, and the stupid Cat is still upstairs."

"Yeah," Haru said, "but I still feel something..." His eyes scanned the room once more, and soon enough, he found himself staring straight at the game. The orb was still flashing the message from when Yuki rolled. Staring at the game made him feel...odd...like losing control when he went Black... But this, he wasn't going to turn Black, instead he felt a sudden urge to...

Tohru and Shigure emerged from the kitchen carrying lit candles, the bouncing light reflecting on their faces. The room glowed gently, brightened by the flames. Tohru knelt down, extending her hand to place a candle onto the table, but she was suddenly pushed roughly aside as Haru snatched the dice and threw them back onto the board.

"Ah!" Tohru squeaked, almost dropping her candle. Luckily, Momiji caught her, holding her long enough for her to regain balance before transforming for the second time that day.

"Honda-san!" Yuki exclaimed, leaving his post at the window. After checking to see if she was okay, his eyes narrowed at Haru, but his glare had no effect. The Ox was watching the game, transfixed. Then, Yuki heard a gasp behind him.

The dice stopped. The ox moved...on its own! Shigure almost dropped his flashlight and candle. If his hands weren't full, he would have rubbed at his eyes. Surely, it had to be the darkness playing tricks on him...games don't just move on their own like that!

Yuki silently watched Shigure's reaction. He forgot the Dog wasn't around when they were playing before the power went out.

The orb flashed, illuminating the dark room. Shigure stood stalk still in shock. What kind of game was this? It was like the magic straight from a novel! His mouth suddenly curved into a frown, his mind jumping back to his own book and the power outage, but he quickly pushed the thought aside as he watched in awe as words began to glow inside the oval of fog...

"What's a drop of rain or two? The ox is solid, through and through."

Shigure cautiously walked to the table, his eyes glued to the game. "Momiji-kun," he spoke, voice low. "What is this game?" Shining his light over the board, he saw the map drawn onto the board and the little animal figurines. The Zodiac race. All at once, he felt compelled to play. Tohru mentioned a dog, so he'll just reach into that bag and pull him out, place it on the board, and... As if in a trance, Shigure passed his candle and flashlight to Haru as he reached for the small velvet pouch...

Tohru opened her mouth to speak, but it wasn't her words that stopped him, it was the back door that blew open.

Wind and water rushed in and extinguished the flames, ripping through Tohru's hair, tangling the strands. She hugged Momiji closer, the rain, falling in large droplets, pelting her and splattering across her face. Already, Momiji's fur was soaked. Shigure brought his hands up in surprise, attempting to guard his face from the rain, while in a rush, Yuki and Hatsuharu tried to grab the door. The rain beat on relentlessly, and with another gust, debris from the storm blew in, a branch slamming into Yuki's shoulder. The blow made him step back and he squinted his eyes while raising his arms, trying to block the onslaught of rain. But as quick as the rain had come, it was gone - Haru, his clothes totally soaked through, managed to shut the door.

With the pandemonium gone, heavy breathing filled the silence as they sat in the dark, the rain muted, rapping against the door. The discarded flashlight laid near the wall, the beams illuminating the corner. The storm seemed to grow worse by the minute. With a quiet sigh of relief, Tohru relaxed her grip on Momiji, and instantly a cloud of smoke filled the room. Momiji's transformation seemed to knock everyone out of their state of shock.

"Ah!" Tohru cried, turning away from the Rabbit. Spying Yuki, worry-mode set in as she crawled over to where he sat on his knees near the door. "Is Yuki-kun okay?"

He smiled at her, despite the limited light. "I'm alright. Are you okay, Honda-san?"

She gave a quick nod. "Yes!" Then, "Just a little wet." There was some shuffling behind her, but she refused to turn around knowing Momiji was still dressing.

"Uhm, Yuki?" Momiji asked. "My clothes are all wet...do you have anything that could fit me?"

Haru picked the flashlight up from the corner. "Me too."

Yuki glanced at everyone, and fidgeted, his clothes uncomfortably sticking to his form. The door wasn't open that long, but the rain came so fast that the cloth was soaked through instantly. "I might have something small that could fit you," he said to Momiji. Turning to Haru, he continued, "But Kyo's clothes will probably fit you better."

After the candles were relit and distributed, they all climbed the stairs, seeking dry clothing. Tohru went to her room, Shigure, his room, and Momiji followed Yuki to his room, leaving Haru to stand outside of the Cat's door. Yuki said he could go in, and it wasn't like Haru cared if he woke Kyo up...

Opening the door, Haru peered into the darkness, trying to locate his cousin. He shined the flashlight into the room, finding Kyo atop the covers, sprawled across the bed on his back, sleeping soundly. Really, Haru thought as he carefully walked into the messy room, how could Kyo sleep through such a storm? Picking his way across the floor, Haru made it to the dresser in one piece and pulled open the top drawer - socks and boxers - nope. Haru started to push the drawer in again when he paused, smirking, a pair of orange, cat print boxers catching his eye. Cute. Trying again, he opened the second drawer and grabbed whatever shirt that was on top, and again with pants. Haru stood, wet but not dripping, in the center of the Cat's room. He had to change...the bathroom? Haru glanced at his cousin's unmoving form. Ah, why bother walking all that way? Kyo didn't seem like he'd wake up anytime soon. Pulling off his shirt, Haru tossed it aside carelessly, not bothering to look where he threw it.

Flump. What the...? Slowly, red eyes opened, blinking a few times. Something...wet... Kyo's eyes quickly adjusted to the dark, peering at whatever just landed next to his face. Lazily, he raised an arm, poking at the sopping mass. His brain too drained to function, Kyo rolled over onto his side, deciding to forget about it. He'd deal with it later, when he was more awake. With a yawn, Kyo's eyelids started to droop when suddenly he heard something unzip, quickly followed by the rustling of clothing.

Someone was in his room.

Completely awake, Kyo concentrated on listening to his intruder. Who could it be? Not Tohru...she wouldn't go in without permission, and definitely not that damn Rat. Instantly he thought of that pervert Dog, but dismissed him just as quickly. Shigure didn't wear anything with a zipper. Kyo shifted so he could spy in the direction of the sounds. Whoever it was had a light of some sort, a flashlight, probably. And they seemed distracted, too, not even paying attention to him laying on the bed. As silent as possible, Kyo crept off the bed and crouched onto the floor, watching the shadow from the corner of his bed. The figure was wobbling slightly on one leg, almost as if they were trying to put something on. But who would be dressing themselves in his room? Kyo guessed he'd just have to find out. Readying himself, he pounced.

Haru yelped as he was suddenly tackled to the floor, the flashlight rolling under the bed. He attempted to fight back, but his arms were pinned above his head. Great. At least he was able to put a pair of pants on, otherwise this would have been a completely awkward situation, not like it wasn't already awkward enough. "Kyo?" Haru called, figuring that he did, in fact, wake the Cat. He rolled his eyes. Of course the thunder and lightning wouldn't wake him, nooo, it was Haru shuffling around in the dark.

"...Haru?" Kyo responded, surprised. Why was the Cow in his room? He leaned his face in closer and saw that, yes, it was Haru. "What the hell are you doing in my room?" he demanded.

Haru titled his head to the side, finding the Cat to be too close for comfort. "Get off me."

"Tell me why you're in my room!"

Haru resisted a sigh. Man, Kyo was stubborn. "I needed to borrow clothes. Now get off me so I can finish changing."

Kyo's eyes wandered from Haru's and realized the Cow was missing his shirt. Muttering under his breath, Kyo released his hold and stood, not offering to help his cousin to his feet. As Haru finished donning his clothes, Kyo asked, "So why mine?"

"Mine were wet." Haru retrieved the flashlight from under Kyo's bed and shined it around the floor, looking for something.

Kyo rolled his eyes. What was up with that flashlight, anyway? Walking to the wall, Kyo ran his hand along until he found the light switch. He flicked it on. Nothing happened.

"The power's out."

"Obviously," Kyo spat. Damn Cow. Trying to make him look stupid. Kyo watched Haru scan the floor. "Now what are you doing?"

Haru sighed, not bothering to hold it back this time. Did Kyo have to know everything? "I threw my shirt somewhere."

Ah. Kyo glanced back to his bed. Now it made sense. "It's on my bed."

Yuki, Momiji, Tohru, and Shigure were seated at the table, dried and dressed. Candles were placed around the room, the flames dancing on the walls, creating a sea of orange rocking back and forth. The rain started to slow down outside, the thunder in the distance.

"So, explain to me," Shigure started. "What is this game, exactly?"

Momiji pushed the dice around with his fingers. "I found it at the Main House. I just thought it was a regular game, I didn't realize it dealt with the Zodiac and all.."

Yuki pulled the instructions out of the box, the paper limp from the rain. He placed them in front of the Dog, near the candle light. "Look, read for yourself. It does sound like a normal game. You start at one town and race to the next. It doesn't mention anything about the game pieces moving or the glass oval."

Shigure quickly read the text, once, twice, before looking back up. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what he saw earlier. Perhaps he was just jumping to conclusions. "So what is it? You make it sound like it isn't electronic or something."

Silence.

"Okay..." Shigure murmured to himself. Should they even be playing around with something like this? "This sounds too weird. I don't believe it," Shigure said, ignoring the fact that he already saw Haru's ox move.

"Shigure," Yuki said, "it's weird that we turn into animals. Obviously the laws of physics don't always apply." As he was dressing, Momiji and he discussed the game and Yuki thought he was starting to understand how it worked. "The game is connected with the curse."

"Yeah!" Momiji jumped in, catching on to where Yuki was headed. "The animals only stick to the board if it's your cursed form. It seems like they can sense when you roll...because when I rolled, the rabbit moved, and when Yuki rolled, only the rat moved," he explained. "And To-ru tried to play earlier with the dog!"

Shigure looked at Tohru, who nodded. "It wouldn't move like the other animals," she said. "And none of the animals will come off the board. Yuki-kun looked underneath the board to see if it was magnetic and my dog fell off, but none of the others did."

Shigure reached into the pouch and pulled out the dog figurine. "So what you're saying, is that these...animals are bound to us? If I place this on the board, it won't come off because it's my cursed form?"

"Go ahead and try," Yuki said. The Rat watched Shigure place the dog at the starting point. "Now pull it off." He was positive it would stick, and stick it did. No matter how hard Shigure pulled, the figurine stayed put. "Only you can roll for the dog. Don't believe any of this yet?" Yuki asked, studying Shigure's skeptical face closely. Time to toss in the proof. "Tohru, roll for Shigure or even for that stupid Cat."

Shigure watched Tohru pick up the dice and shake them. She broke apart her hands and the dice rolled across the table. Nothing happened. She even went as far as to grab the monkey and place it on the board. She was able to move the piece freely, and when she rolled, it didn't move on its own.

"Interesting," the Dog spoke slowly. So he wasn't seeing things earlier after all. The whole idea of this game acting on its own was freaky, but like Yuki said, turning into animals wasn't normal, either. He was surprised at how easily he accepted all of this. There was just one more thing... "Now explain that message."

Yuki exchanged glances with Momiji. They didn't get that far in discussing the game. The Rat had no idea how the messages worked or what they meant. So far, only three of them rolled, and it almost seemed to tell a story. "I, we can't. They kind of tell a story, as if narrating this so-called race, but I'm only assuming the messages were pre-made since the legend is so popular. I think they are there just for show."

Shigure collected the dice off of the table, shaking them in one hand. "Well, why not see what it says next?"

The dice connected with the board, jumping across the surface until rolling to a stop. Together, the two numbers equaled nine. When Shigure's dog started to move, he grabbed it, trying to make it stop, but it just kept going. He recoiled his hands when the oval fogged over again. Flashing brightly, a new message was revealed. Everyone leaned in closer to see what it said.

"Ah, it is such a bother, to wake up from the splash of water! But stretch your legs, dear kitten, and get moving. Do not dotter!"

"See?" Yuki said. "Just a story. Kyo's cat is still in the town."

Shigure stifled a laugh. Kyo? A kitten? Both words just didn't seem to go together. As he thought of it, Kisa was more of the kitten. It would seem they should swap their feline curses. Calming down, he came back to the problem at hand. Turning to Yuki, he asked, "But how did the game know Kyo was slee-"

Shigure was interrupted by shouts coming from the stairs. There were two voices - the one, calm and collected, belonged to Haru, the other... "Ah, here comes our kitten, now!" Shigure said with a grin.

The flashlight beam made it safely to the bottom step before turning in the direction of the main room. As the pair got closer, their features slowly were captured by the candlelight. Haru shuffled along holding the flashlight in one hand and kept his other hand stuffed in his pocket. He didn't look at Kyo as he exchanged words with the Cat. Kyo visibly reacted to whatever Haru said, his face turning red with anger. Finally sparing a glance in Kyo's direction, Haru sighed, "I said I was sorry."

Wrong thing to say. Kyo stopped in the doorway, and if looks did kill, Haru would have been dead twice before he hit the ground. "I don't care! You shouldn't have come in, anyway!"

Yuki moaned, rubbing his temples. Just when things had finally quieted down.. "He just had to wake that idiot up."

"Hey! I heard that, Rat-boy!"

A soft smile crept onto Tohru's lips as Kyo entered. She watched him push past Haru, making his way to the table, flopping down next to her. He propped one elbow onto the table, holding his head in his hand, muttering under his breath while he stared at the ground. Slowly, he looked up, making eye contact with Tohru, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Did Kyo-kun sleep okay?" she asked. "The storm didn't wake you, did it?"

Suddenly aware that the others were present and watching, Kyo broke the contact, averting his eyes and casually answered, "Yeah, and no, it wasn't the storm." At that, Kyo looked across the table where Haru sat next to Yuki, his eyes narrowing. "It was that goddamn Cow, smacking me with his stupid shirt."

Haru returned the glare. "I said I was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't mean anything now that I'm awake."

"Then what do you want me to do? Sing you a la-la-by?" Haru crossed his arms, challenging the Cat.

"Shut up!" Kyo grabbed the dice and chucked them at Haru, beaming him in the face. "Quit acting like you're so damn great!"

Haru rubbed his cheek where the dice hit. That stung... If a fight was what Kyo wanted, then it was a fight he'd get. Haru's vision started to fade into blackness around the edges as he felt his Black side itching to take over.

Yuki sighed. It had been a long day, and the beginnings of a headache were setting in. The yelling didn't help. "Would both of you quit it?"

Suddenly, the room lit up with a familiar flash, the light dying away as quick as it came. With the argument, they had failed to notice the little cat slide along the board. A new message formed through the gray fog...

"Is it the dog, sheep, rooster, or rat? Or maybe the monkey, dragon, cow, or cat? One of you cannot be trusted, and one of you will fall into their trap."

Kyo stared at the oval, forgetting he placed his cat piece on the board earlier. What the hell was that supposed to mean? This game was so stupid. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tohru fidget, twisting her hands in her lap. Of course she would take the game seriously... Reaching over, Kyo placed his hand on top of hers. She started, and looked down at their hands. She seemed to be calming down, so he offered her a small smile, reassuring her, then all at once, it hit him.

Tohru took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Why did she feel so afraid? It was just a game after all. She looked at Kyo's hand still on top of hers, her eyes trailing up his arm and to his face. He smiled at her, and she felt a lot safer. But that safeness instantly cracked when she saw Kyo's face suddenly twist into shock then anger. His wasn't looking at her anymore, but at...

Yuki stood, grabbing the flashlight off of the table, mind set on finding their supply of Tylonel. He stopped however, when he felt someone watching him. Turning, he made eye contact and said, "Why are you looking at me, you stupid Cat?" For some reason, he found it unnerving, almost as if he were being stared at the way a predator would watch its prey. He didn't like it.

"Because," Kyo said rather calm, his pupils narrowed into cat-like slits, "It was the rat that tricked the cat."

Confusion crossed Yuki's face until he realized Kyo was talking about that game. He tilted his chin up slightly in a superior manner, in an attempt to recollect himself. This was Kyo, after all. "The messages are pre-made, of course one would say that. You'll lose, anyway."

Kyo glared at him, "Shut up, it's a stupid game. I can still beat you. It's all just the luck of the roll!"

Haru smirked at the Cat. "What's the matter Kyo, you sound like you're trying to reassure yourself. Afraid you'll fall for the same trick twice?"

Kyo finally lost his composure, his face heating up. "No way!"

"Now, now," Shigure butted in. "Calm down..this is just a gaaaame," he chimed. His attempt to quell the growing argument failed. He sighed, seeing that only Tohru held some amount of interest in what he had to say. Everyone else ignored him. "Perhaps we should move onto cards?"

Haru stood from his seat and slung an arm around Yuki's shoulders. "I trust Yuki," he continued. "Not you, Kyo. You rolled it. The game is telling you that you can't be trusted."

Kyo's hand left Tohru's and slammed onto the table. "Just because I rolled it doesn't mean anything! It could be about anybody!"

"Guys," Momiji tried. He looked back and forth between Yuki, Haru, and Kyo. They were completely yelling at each other now. "Guys! Listen to me!" No effect. He glanced at Tohru and Shigure for help, but they were both trying to calm the others down. This was horrible. Momiji looked around, trying to think of something that would grab their attention. Coming up with nothing else, Momiji stood, and with a swipe of his hand, he knocked the game onto the floor, the board clattering loudly against the wooden surface. "Listen to me!"

Everyone stopped and stared at the Rabbit.