In a mist filled room, God held the Cat in his arms.

"I'll hold banquet after banquet, forever unchanging..." God said. "I may be lonely right now...but everyone is waiting for me...on the other side of that promise."

The miko fell to one knee and bowed, the animals surrounding her giving a sigh.

"Kami-sama," the miko said. "I swear to always carry out your promise. The Watanabe bloodline shall forever be ensorceled unto the service of this promise."

The miko crossed her arms in front of the golden pentacle.

"S-AN!" The pentacle glowed, and the souls were drawn in, along with her own.

Suddenly she was alone, facing a woman, a demon. The demon spoke a word of curse upon their promise.

"MU-DU-ROU!"

That was in the long-distant past...The original memory, forgotten by everyone. The original promise.

XXX

Kurisuta Hikawa sat straight up in bed. That dream again.

The Promise, the Lotis, the Curse.

"Ma...ra..." the word crossed her lips.

Kuri stood up. "It looks like it's cleared up..."

She headed away from her tent.

Kuri had long straight hair with bits of hair framed inward towards her face. There was a split in the middle of her widow's peak and she let a streak of hair on both sides frame her face in front of her shoulders. Her eyes were blue and her skin was pale. Kuri wore the school uniform, a red medium dress, black stockings and brown boots. She wore a gold pentacle around her neck.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Hikawa Kuri. I'm a miko. In May of this year, my mother, who had been raising me all alone, was killed by a demon. As a result, I am now secretly living in a tent. I can't say that it's an easy life, but that's okay. One of my virtues is that no matter the times, I will not be discouraged; after all, I am a disciple of the Lotis!"

Kuri stopped at the Sohma house. "Huh? What is this feeling?"

The dream from the night before flashed in her mind as she looked at the Zodiac figures.

"Huh? How can it be that there is a girl here?" Shigure said.

"P- pardon me! I looked without asking first!" Kuri said.

"Go ahead, go ahead. I'm just drying them in the sun, after all. However, they couldn't be that interesting for such a young person to look at." Shigure said.

"Not at all. They are very cute." Kuri said.

"Really? In that case, I'm happy. I like them too." Shigure said.

"Still, just as I thought, there is no cat, huh?" Kuri said.

"Cat? Ah..." Shigure said. "Could it be you're referring to the cat that appears in the tales of the zodiac?"

"Yes. I learned about it in my training." Kuri said.

"Training?" Shigure said.

"I'm a Lotis Master." Kuri said. "A Miko of the Watanabe Clan. Part of the training was to learn the story of the Zodiac."

Xxx

A younger Kuri, wearing a miko's hakama, was kneeling in front of Master Kaori, listening to her teaching.

"A man, later to be called "God", had lived on top of a mountain for several years, all alone. The man had lived a thousand lifetimes and possessed a thousand different powers. Since God knew he was not like the humans at all, he came to fear them, specifically to get hurt by them.

But then, one day, a cat came to visit. The man was very shocked by the sudden visitor. The cat confessed that he had been watching the man quite some time, and that he couldn't help but be drawn to him. He expressed his desire to stay by the man's side. And so, the cat held its words and never left the man's side. This made the man very happy.

Eventually, the other animals (those that are considered part of the Chinese zodiac) went to see the man. After that occasion, the thirteen animals and the man would have a banquet every night the moon shone. In their banquets, they all had a great time, as they sang, danced, and laughed.

But one night, the cat suddenly collapsed. "God" and all the other animals were devastated and it made them realize that all living things were destined to die, and that their wonderful banquets would eventually end. "God", not wanting their friendship or banquet to end, and only yearning to make their bond last for eternities, called to his Miko to create a spell by drawing on the power of Lotis into a drink. This drink, later revealed to a spell which would make their friendships last for all eternity, that they would be reborn and no matter how many times they were reborn the bond of their friendship would remain.

"God" had the cat, still unconscious, drink it first without telling him what it was. All the other animals drank the spell willingly, the Rat going first. However, the cat briefly regained consciousness and was devastated by the fact that he was forced to drink the spell-water. He explained that he didn't want to be reborn for all eternity, and was steadfast in his belief that all things must come to an end. After saying his piece, the cat passed away. The other animals, however, did not want to hear to the cat's wisdom and had already made up their minds that the cat had betrayed them.

And at last, the day came when "God" too left this world. However, he was not afraid because of the promise they had all made so many years ago. He knew that his friends (the animals) would wait for him and that all of them would be reunited."

Kaori patted Kuri's head. "And now with each generation of the Watanabe family we train in the art of Lotis to keep the spell together, an unending banquet."

"But Grams?" Little Kuri said. "The Cat was right. Just as Mother died, protecting me, she told me that even though we all have to die, the bond of love doesn't break. Love...is the greatest of all powers."

Kaori kissed Kuri's forehead. "Blessed Be."

Xxx

"Oh, yeah? I wonder what kind of face he'll make when he hears that." Shigure said.

"He?" Kuri said.

"So, you're the Priestess, then. I'm Shigure. I'm the Dog—"

Yuki hit him on the head with a bag. "What are you flirting around here for? Are you okay, Hikawa-san? My cousin didn't do anything impolite, did he?"

"S- Sohma-kun!" Kuri said.

"-That's quite a heavy bag you've got." Shigure said.

"I was right! This is a Sohma House." Kuri thought.

"You have a dictionary or something in there?" Shigure said.

"Yeah, two of them." Yuki said.

"Oh? So you've met Yuki-kun at the shrine, then?" Shigure said. Then, from the top- I am Sohma Shigure, Yuki-kuns cousin. Yuki, did you know that this is—"

"Hikawa Kurisuta." Kuri said. "I am the Zodiac Priestess."

Yuki stared at her. "You are...from that clan?"

"Yes. My training is complete." Kuri said. "I was sent to await the head of the Sohma family's discernment on my placement."

A pained look crossed Yuki's face, but only for a moment.

"So where are you living?" Shigure asked curiously.

"Uh...nearby." Kuri said, then quickly changed the subject. "W- well, with that, I should be-"

"Ah, Hikawa-san..." Yuki said.

"Yes?" Kuri said.

"Since you're already here, shall we go together to the Shrine?" Yuki said.

Hikawa Shrine

"I couldn't make any conversation with Sohma worth calling conversation, either." Kuri said.

"He seems unusual..." Mana said.

Mana was often described as a very beautiful woman. She had flawless alabaster-white skin and long, rich black hair that fell past her slim waist, which was often tied into a loose ponytail with a ribbon and had big, brown eyes.

"Here it comes." Rei said.

Rei had red hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. She wore her hair in a high ponytail with a big green bow.

"Unusual, you say?" Kuri said.

"I'm not quite sure about it." Mana said. "Well, there certainly is an unusual feeling about him."

"Yes, I do." Kuri said. "I'm getting ready for the Harvest Festival."

"That's rough. You're still staying with your Grams in town, right?" Rei said.

"Yes of course." Kuri said. "Relax. I work so hard because I plan to become High Priestess of my Shrine when I'm older. I have to learn lots of things. Casting my circle, drawing down the moon, stuff like that."

"Is that so?" Reiko said. "Well don't work too hard."

I can't tell them. Kuri thought. They can't know that my real purpose is to serve the Hyuga family and strengthen the promise. Or that I keep having nightmares about some kind of curse.

Xxx

A young Kuri sat at a gravestone crying.

A wealthy man, Yuzuru Suo, got out of a limo and walked over, holding out a hand. "Won't you come with me Kuri? I'm your father after all."

Kuri looked up. "You came all the way here to get me...but you couldn't come an hour earlier for Mom's funeral. Just...what was she to you?"

"A dalliance." Yuzuru said.

"Funny." Kuri said. "She said the same thing about you."

An older woman appeared behind Kuri, a hand on her shoulder, as if out of nowhere.

"You've gotten your money." Grams said sternly. "That's all your getting. You won't have my girl as your heir. Come, Kuri."

Grams led her away.

"I'll never understand why she loved that man." Grams said later.

"Love...is weakness." Kuri declared.

"What makes you say that?" Grams snapped. "Love is the Greatest of all Powers."

"How can it be the Greatest of All Powers...when it causes such misery, and leaves you with nothing?" Kuri said stubbornly.

"Love..." Grams said. "Love is infinite. You can always make more of it. It makes a coward brave. It is your greatest weakness, and yet...your greatest strength. With Love, you have Lotis. Without it, all is darkness. Mara. Remember that."

"Grams? How did mother die?" Kuri said.

"She was killed...by a demon." Grams said, voice sounding tired all of a sudden.

Xxx

"Sohma-kun, about this morning, I wanted to apologize." Kuri said.

"The same goes even more for me. Shigure must have given you trouble." Yuki said.

"No, he's alright." Kuri said. "I told him about my training as a priestess."

"You said something about the Cat, didn't you?" Yuki said.

"I believe the Cat to be wise." Kuri said.

"Cats are fools. They have a bad nature. Hikawa-san, did you know...that the zodiac is really part of a timekeeping system of tens and twelves?" Yuki said.

"N- no..." Kuri said.

"Originally, they were used as numerals, or as timepieces. Afterward, they got adopted into Yin-yang cosmology and divination, and they were used in fortune-telling." Yuki said.

"Did the animals have anything to do with it?" Kuri said.

"No. Apparently, it's not clearly known at what time animals were adapted in, or what source they were established from, but since the beginning, there was never a time when the Cat was a member of the zodiac. Still, since it has come to be associated with the zodiac, whatever they say goes. Cats really are fools, you know." Yuki said.

"So, in short, Sohma-kun, do you hate cats?" Kuri said.

Yuki smiled mysteriously at her. Well, now she really wanted to meet this Cat.

"I was thinking this morning, as well, that your color doesn't look too good." Yuki said. "You should take better care of yourself. Well, see you tomorrow."

"He really is mysterious. Even so, Sohma, I'll pretend I didn't hear that. I have to cast a Circle tonight." Kuri thought

Xxx

Kuri bowed and prepared to cast the Circle.

She was startled to see Yuki Sohma watching from the entrance to the shrine. She turned to wave him over, when she felt a shudder run through her.

Her body flew back in a wide arc, and she felt herself collapse on to the floor.

Xxx

Kuri sat up. She was somewhere else. This place...it was like her dream!

Kuri looked back down the tunnel. Nothing there except dancing light. Kuri turned to the wall and felt a jolt of electric shock. Whoa! There was a woman sitting cross-legged in front of the wall! She was wearing a white fringed dress that was beaded with the same symbols that were on the wall behind her. She was fantastically beautiful, with long straight hair so black it looked as if it had blue and purple highlights, like a raven's wing. Her full lips curved up as she spoke, filling the air between us with the silver power of her voice.

"Welcome, filia lunae. Daughter of the Moon. You have done well."

She used Latin, but even though Kuri hadn't practiced the language much in the last couple years Kuri understood the words.

"You're the Kami!" Kuri blurted, feeling awkward and out of place as her purple words joined with the woman's, making incredible patterns of sparkling lavender in the air around us.

Her smile was like the rising sun.

"Yes. I am the Kami."

Kuri took a deep breath. "Am I dead?"

Kuri was afraid she would laugh, but she didn't. Instead her dark eyes were soft and concerned.

"No, filia lunae. You are far from dead, though your spirit has been temporarily freed to wander the realm of the Otherworld."

"The Otherworld!" Kuri glanced around the tunnel, trying to see faces and forms within the shadows.

Your grandmother has taught you well, Paulo Anatis…little duck. You are a unique mixture of the Old Ways and the New World—of ancient wiccan blood and the heartbeat of outsiders.

Her words made Kuri feel hot and cold at the same time. "What do you want from me?" I asked.

"There is something I must tell you." Kami lowered her voice to a whisper. "When I made the promise, cast the spell long ago, I was unaware, but the Mara...Darkness of the Heart...made it into a curse."

"Curse?" Kuri said. "But what can I do?" All of a sudden she wanted to cry. "I—I don't understand. Find my destiny? I just want to find a way to deal with my new life—to make this all okay. Kami, I just want to fit in someplace. I don't think I'm up to finding my destiny."

Kami's face softened again, and when she spoke her voice was like Grams, only more—as though she had somehow sprinkled the love of every mother in the world into her words.

"Believe in yourself Kuri Watanabe. I have Chosen you as my own. You will be my first true Filia Lunae…Daughter of Night…in this age. You are special. Accept that about yourself and you will begin to understand there is true power in your uniqueness. Within you is combined the magic blood of ancient Wise Women and Elders, as well as insight into and understanding of the modern world."

The Goddess stood up and walked gracefully toward me, her voice painting silver symbols of power in the air around them. When she reached Kuri she wiped the tears from her cheeks before taking her face in her hands.

"Kuri Watanabe, Daughter of the Moon, I name you my eyes and ears in the Sohma Family, in a world where good and evil are struggling to find balance."

"But I'm sixteen! I can't even parallel-park! How am I supposed to know how to be your eyes and ears?"

"She just smiled serenely. You are old beyond your years, Kuri. Believe in yourself and you will find a way. But remember, darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good. Remember: To let go of your fear, trust in the Greatest of All Powers."

Then the Kami, the ancient deity Kuri family had served for generations, leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. And Kuri passed out.

Xxx

"Hikawa-san?" Yuki was leaning over her, looking concerned.

Kuri sat up, and her head hit his. "Ow...what are you doing here, Sohma-kun?"

"I came to see you cast a Circle." Yuki said. "Are you alright?"

Kuri laughed. "That was a pretty big failure. Sorry about that. I just wasn't focusing..."

"That wasn't it." Yuki insisted. "You have a fever, Hikawa-san. Come on, let's get you home."

"I'm afraid we can't." Kuri said awkwardly. "My tent blew away last night."

"Your...tent?!"

Xxx

"I see. So that's why you're living in a tent." Yuki said.

"Yes..." Kuri said.

"Since when?" Yuki said.

"Since one week ago." Kuri said. "I arrived in Japan after finishing my training on Skye. I still haven't heard from the Head of the Family. Usually tradition dictates that I serve them, at least for a while."

"Don't expect Akito to get back to you anytime soon." Shigure said. "He's been sick."

"Oh." Kuri said. "I'm sorry to hear that. The fact remains that I should go to the Main House. Now that I know of the Head's condition, it is even more imperative that I—"

"Hikawa-san!" Yuki stopped her. "You have to take it easy! Shigure, she has a fever!"

"I see." Shigure said. "In that case...I've decided! You'll remain here, Miko-chan!"

"Don't go deciding things!" Kuri said, alarmed. "What about my duty to Akito-sama!"

"Leave that to me!" Shigure smirked.

"Ah...fine..." Kuri sighed. "I guess it could be worse."

"What do you mean, Hikawa-san?" Yuki said.

"When I was four years old, I found my mother on the side of the road. She was dead...and no one would tell me anything. Grams finally told me she died nobly, serving the Sohma family. But...she didn't change anything, did she? Is it really ok, for this to go on...unchanging..." Kuri fell asleep.

"At the shrine, she always seems so cheerful. It seemed like she had never known hardship or anything of the sort. But she's spent her whole life training just to serve Akito. I've had it easy, huh?" Yuki said.

"It would be rude to Kuri-san to call it terrific." Shigure said.

"You're right." Yuki said. "Can I leave her up to you? I'm going to go out."

"Where to? Don't tell me you're going to go dig that stuff out. Should I go with you? It'll be tough all alone, right?" Shigure said.

"Alone? I never said I was going alone." Yuki said.

"Come back soon." Shigure said.

Xxx

"Kuri?" Grams came into the library. "Kuri where are you?"

"U-Under here! Help!" Kuri's hand stuck out of the book pile.

Grams pulled her out. "Did you pull another all-nighter?"

Kuri yawned in response.

"Don't work so hard. You're very wise, you'll find the answer. Don't give up! I'll always be here to take care of you!"

Xxx

"Grams...I can't..." Kuri said.

"Morning! How are you feeling? I think I was able to dig out all of your belongings. Could you check them?" Yuki said.

"Sohma-kun, did you go through all that dirt by yourself?" Kuri said.

"Don't be silly!" Yuki said.

"Then, how did you...?" Kuri said.

"It's a secret." Yuki smirked.

"Welcome to the House of Sohma! I'll carry your things up too. Ah, Yuki-kun, let her borrow a change of clothes." Shigure said.

"Are you sure? I don't want you getting in trouble because of me! Here let me—" Kuri went to grab her overnight bags.

"Don't work so hard." Yuki said. "We don't mind taking care of you."

Xxx

"So, are you sure this is okay? Having a girl live together with us?" Shigure said.

"What's this? Up until now you were utterly overjoyed." Yuki said.

"It's all right. Just as long as neither of us get hugged." Shigure said.

"As the miko, how much exactly does she know?" Yuki asked. "Isn't it possible she already knows?"

"No way!" Shigure said.

Xxx

"Sure enough, because it's been closed up, it has become moldy. It would be best to open a window for some ventilation." Yuki said.

Kyo blew through the roof.

"Yo! Are you ready for me to break your neck? Prince of Rats..." Kyo said.

"Why don't you give it up already? You're weak, after all." Yuki said.

"Look, you! If you look on me as being the same as I was just a while ago, then you're in for some pain! Today is the day when I smash that egotistical nose of yours!" Kyo said.

"Hey! If you're going to fight take it outside! Not in my room!" Kuri said, smacking into Kyo and turning him into a cat.

"Yuki-kun, I just heard a terrific noise. By any chance has Kyo come by?" Shigure said.

Kuri lifted Kyo up. "So...you are the infamous Cat."

Kyo in turn scratched her face.

"Yah!" Kuri dropped him, and blinded, ran into Shigure and Yuki.

"You're right Shigure, you ARE the Dog." Kuri said. "And Yuki, you're the Rat." Kuri said. "That explains it...the feeling..."

"She knew all along!" Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure chorused.