His breathing was as heavy as ever and Shigure became more and more worried by the day. He had called Hatori more than once each day, but every time the call was interrupted by Akito screaming something about loyalty, love, the meaning of and death and a red tree in the garden. Hatori had always promisde to call back, but never did.
Shigure knew, that it wasn't Hatoris fault, that since he was a zodiac, he had to obey his god Akito, no matter what she demanded. Kyo had returned, visibly tensed, repeadingly glancing at Yuki worriedly. Shigure supposed, that Kazuma had told him something, thaat neither of them were supposed to knew, or the martial arts master had just had a guess, which he had then told to kyo.
Machi and Kakeru stopped by almost every day. At some point, someone seemed to have told Kakeru about the whole curse thing -Shigure suspected Momichi- because, when once Yuki turned into a rat fro exhaustion, he didn't even ask a single question. Ayame was around sometimes, he came by once a day, to check on Yuki, looking more worn out each time.
And so as it had to be one afternoon...
The telfone in the hallway rang, Machi and Kakeru looked up, to where the sound was coming from, when Thoru came into view and picked it up.
"Hello." She said. Then she frowned.
"Yes, I will." She said and put the Phone down without hanging up. "Shigure, someone wants to talk to you"
Shigure nodded and took the phone
"Hello"
...
"Akito, how nice to hear your voice" While his voice sounded undoubtedly happy, his face said different. The moment he had said the name, the room went silent. Everyone knew, who Akito was, not personally, but even Kakeru knew, that the head of the family calling wasan't a certainly good sign.
...
"Well, we're all still alive and, aside from Yuki, well, if that's what you're emplying."
...
"No"
...
"I know, I'm aware, that there isn't much more time, than at best two years."
As Shigure said those words, Kyo looked up at him. What Kyo didn't know, was, that he wasn't acctually the subject of the call. Though he didn't know, that he wasn't the only one with limited freedome to live at Shigures with Thoru and others.
...
"Yes, yes, I suppose, but how are you feeling, dear Akito. Hatori seems to be quite busy with you, so busy, that he didn't have one free hour to check up on Yuki."
...
"I see, well, then please tell him to come over once he's done with you today, Yuki really needs another check up. Oh and it's good to hear, that you're recovering fast. You've always had a tendesy."
...
"No, I don't think that's the best idea, he's hated by most, you know that, right?" Now Kyo was sure he was talking about him, however while Akito was on the other side of the phone, he couldn't possibly scold Shigure. He supposed in the end part of the reason he spoke so hateful of him was to safe himself from punishment.
...
"You mean putting him in that cage?" Kyo froze, he hadn't expected Shigure to be so cold hearted, he knew, that everyone hated him and, that in two years he would be sent into that cage, but until then, he was free. ANd there was Shigure, telling the whole gathered group something only the cat and gpd were supposed to know about, how Shigure knew in the first place was another mitery to him.
...
"Yes, well, you see I-"
...
"Yes Akito, good bye."
He hung up.
The moment he was sure the line was cut of, Kyo went forward and slapped Shigure hard across the face. Thoru and Machi were frozen in shock, while Kakeru was trying to understand what was going on,
"You asshole!!"
"Kyo, what's the mat-" Shigure cut himself off, realizing, how simular his words had sounded to the fate of the cat.
"Kyo, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I wasn't even-"
"Yeah right, you know, I get that you're super out of it, because Yuki is sick and all the trouble, that comes with it. But you know, you could at least try to act like you care about the rest of us."
"Kyo I wasn-"
"Safe it, if you're gonna try and find some way to explain this by saying, that you can't disibey your god and he tells us to hate me, no you can-"
"KYO!" Shigure strictly interrupted him in with a never before seen fury and strength behind his voice.
Kyo fell silent. Never before had he seen the usually calm man yell like this.
Shigure sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell." he paused and looked at Kyo, who had lowered his head, so his gsze met the ground.
"Kyo, I know, that this is a sensetive subject, but-" Kyo turned around to leave, but Shigure grabbed his arm. Kyo was surprised about the strong grip, never before had he realized, how strong the writer truly was.
"listen to me, when I'm talking to you. I know the cats fate, alright, but I wasn't talking about you here."
In that moment Kyos gaze shot up, still having his back turned towards Shigure, he gazed over to the sleeping Yuki, while his face showed multible emotions at the same time. Anger, pain, sadness, pity, acknowledgement, fear.
Now it was official, to Shigure at least, Kazuma had told him something. Wether Kazuma was relying on his own Theory or had read and asked Akito about it, Shigure didn't care.
"Exactly, look, I don't know what Kazuma told you about it. To be honest neither Kazuma nor I or you are supposed to know any of it. It's a secret, between the house doctor, the god and the rat. Where Kazuma got the information from or if he had it at all and it wasn't just a theor supported by a lot of evidens, I don't know. But whaat I know for sure, is, that he told you, that you and him are much more simular, than you can imagine."Shigure said this quietly. Awkward with the situation, Machi, Haru and Kakeru had returned to doing their homework, while Thoru stood in the hallway, invisible to the people in the sitting room, standing a couple of meeters behind Shigure, so that she wouldn't interrupt.
Had however been near enough to hear Shigures words, that didn't escape the dog.
"Come on you two, let's go outside and I'll explain this a little, since there is no longer a point in hiding it anyways." Shigure said, for now putting aside the things he had been ordered from Akito for now.
''Haru, Machi, Kakeru, take care of Yuki while we're gone." the kids nodded
Once the three of them arrived at a hidden bench in the forest, sure, that no one had followed them outside.
It was silent for a moment, then Shigure sighed.
"Well?" Kyo asked impatiently.
"Kyo tell me, what did Kazuma tell you exactly."
Kyo was quiet for a moment.
"He said, that there was no use in hating the rat, that according to his grandfather, the rat had a simular life to the cats. He said, that I should treasure the fact, that Yuki is still here and not replaced with the next poor child to be born into the rat. He told me, that despite what is said. the rat is hated as much as the cat, if not more. And when I asked him, what he meant by it, he said, 'my grandfather once told me, that he outlived around 16 rats. From which fife had died as baby shortly after birth. And that the rat had even less time to live in freedome, than the cat did."
"So Kazuma had it from the previous cat, I suppose he really knew a lot, after all even in the cage, the rat is not treated like an animal, even he receives the inside news and newest technologies." Shigure mumbled,
"Ehm, Shigure, what did Kyo mean, by even less time and freedome and what about sixteen rats. I mean, sure, the last cat apparently did get about 103 years old, but-. And why'd he say treasure, that Yuki is still here? Shigure, please, if you know something, then tell us. We, I-"
"thoru, calm down, that's exactly, why I took you all the way out here." He paused to sort his thoughts
"The rat is the most reborn animal of the whole zodiac, because only 7 rats have made it above the age of eighteen." He stopped, to let them take in the first sentence, he knew, that this itself woouldn't be too bad, but there was a heavy story ahead and Shigure didn't exactly know how to tell them,neither did he know, wetheror not he was the right person to do it.
"Most rats die before they turn one year old, about 50% of all rats die before one year, about 35% die before ten years old, about a little more than 14% percent make it shortly under or to eighteen, and only about 1% survives eighteen."
A tear ran down Throus cheek. "but why?" She asked silently.
"Because the rat cannot live without its god. Do you know, why in the original zodiac, the rat tricked the cow?" Shigure waited for an answer.
When he didn't receive one, he simplpy continued talking. "It's because it was ill, had a deadly disease and was not strong enough to walk the whole way by itself. Once it had arrived at the banquet, god had saved its life, healing it enough to survive, but not enough to regain full health. Soon after, it died on the already inflicted damage."
"So, ever since then, every rat was born weak, every rat has died at early age, from some kind of disease. It can be any kind. From cancer to a mild cold, for the rat ... for Yuki, everything can be fatal. For being the rat, he's rather old." Shigure added. "Oh and Kyo, when Kazuma said Yuki is more simular than you thought, he was talking about the rats cage. Every rat is bound to life close to their god, because it ows its entire life to god. So the rat has a room in the main state, Yuki was locked up in there from the time he was about 3 to when he was 14, in his time there, Akito apparently treated him like a stressball, wjen I got to him, he was malnourished, injured and sick."
"But why would-?" Thoru said, surpressing another sob.
"In his time there he almost died from his asthma, you know that from Hatori and Haru right? Well, when he was first with me, he was sick with terribly high fever, incredible stomach pains, so bad he couldn't even keep water down and had a bad cough. Hatori and I looked after him for