Jyuunini no Enkei Monogatari
Chapter One, First Zodiac: Nezumi 
by Ina-chan
First Posted Online: March 22, 2002
History: A Theory on the Origins of the Souma Family Curse 

[At a time lost in antiquity, two affluent families sought to expand their feudal territories across the land… the Souma Family from the green pasturelands and the Mizugawa Family from the river’s edge.  

This story speaks the tragedy of the Mizugawa Family, a family was well known for many various reasons. The first was being the only family to successfully withstand the aggressive land occupation of the Souma Family for many generations.  

The second was their colourful history. It was believed that the Mizugawas have descended from a lineage of mystics, though whatever magic the family possessed had long dwindled as the bloodline thinned. However, it was said that members of the family were still guided and blessed by the wisdom and characteristics of personal spirits from nature.  

And finally was the subject of the Mizugawa Family’s twin heirs. Though the Mizugawa heirs had been hidden from the public eye, their reputation throughout the land has gained them infamy. True to their names. Kaji, the elder, was a fervent ever-burning fire. Though he possesses beauty, a good heart, and a sympathetic nature, he was uncomplicated, emotional, hot-tempered, and impulsive. Yukino, the younger, in the other hand, was his complete opposite. Headstrong, tactless, intuitive, clever, though sometimes insensitive and cold, the cunning ice princess by the water’s edge was also blessed with exquisite loveliness that was rumoured to rival that of the fabled Princess Kaguya. The many failed attempts to seek her hand in marriage were just as legendary.  

And thus the story begins with the inevitable death of the Lord of the Mizugawa House, leaving behind his inexperienced twin heirs, opening the door of opportunity for the Lord of the Souma House to set the stage for the tragic fall of the Mizugawa Clan.]

 “Yukino!”

 ‘OF ALL THE STUPID…’

 The young woman strode across the corridors with such cold indignation, that the very air around her seemed to freeze, her long unbound hair trailing behind her, as if to reflect the anger inside of her.

 “Yukino, wait!”

 ‘STUPID! IDIOT! DIM-WIT!’

 The various words describing what she thought of her brother ran through her mind like a mantra, ignoring the young man nervously skittering behind her, and the individuals in the hallway trying to dodge from her path until she finally stood in front of closed entrance of her goal

 ‘AHO! BAKA! BAKA YAROU!’

 “YUKINO—”

 The ice princess finally turned around and gave her pursuer a cold steely gaze. Satisfaction flashed through her eyes as the words immediately froze in the young man’s throat, while he instinctively shrank back, pacified. Without another word, she violently flung the sliding door open, ripping the fragile frame by the sheer force of her indignation.  

“WHAT IS IT NOW?!!!” The occupant of the room glared at the silent figure standing by his now ruined door in equal annoyance, as he sat cross-legged in front of a low table laden with scrolls of paperwork  

“What is this about a banquet in the Souma territory that you conveniently forgot to tell me?” The young woman demanded coolly  

“It’s none of your concern,” Kaji retorted as his eyes wandered to the second figure standing behind his sister who returned his gaze with a sheepish expression “And how exactly did you come across this information?”  

Yukino ground her teeth as she marched and towered over her brother, “If this is an attempt to marry me off behind my back…”  

Kaji raised an eyebrow with a playful twinkle in his eye, “That paranoia of yours will come to an end if you would simply give your suitors a chance. You never know, Souma Akki-kou might actually be a good person.”

 “A real man would not proclaim his declaration of love through his vassals…” Yukino began

 “Well the man does have a weak constitution…” The young man standing behind her said helpfully, only to stop in mid-sentence as the young woman turned around sharply to give him another one of her icy sub-zero glares. “Fine, fine! I’m staying out of it.” The young man held out his arms, as if to physically defend himself while taking several steps backward to retreat, “Kaji, just scream if you need help.”  

“Izumi has a point, you know,” Kaji stated, unable to hide the amusement in his voice

 “Aaahh~~!! That over-optimistic attitude of yours is making me sick! You’ve never even met that person!” Yukino shot back, “For all we know, he could be a teetering perverted old man who has a strange appetite for devouring innocent maidens.”

 “If you devoted equal time to your bridal training as to indulging that morbid imagination of yours, you’ll probably develop a more pleasant personality,” Kaji commented, “And it’s not just Souma-kou. What about all those men who came from god-knows-where just to visit you? You refused to see any one of them. I never understood why Father indulged you the way he did. If he were any other person, he would have married you off to a good family many years ago.”

 “That’s unfair, Onnichan…” Yukino lowered her eyes

 “As much as I detest the Soumas, lifelong damnation with you isn’t something I would wish on anyone,” Kaji let out a sigh, “The Soumas invited us to negotiate a treaty. The banquet is simply a token of good will.”

 “A treaty?” Yukino’s eyes widened at her brother’s words before settling into a suspicious frown, “I don’t trust it. All this time, the Soumas have done nothing but try to overthrow our family and gain our lands. I may have not met Souma Akki-kou face to face, but at least I know precisely what his true intentions are for wanting to marry me. But suddenly proposing a treaty…”

 “I thought it was rather suspicious, myself. I spoke with Tatsu-san regarding this, and he agreed with me. We are very vulnerable right now since we have yet to recover from Father’s death. The Souma Family is just as vulnerable due to the ill health of their current Lord of the House. This proposal is heaven-sent.”

 “Very well,” Yukino gave in, but still not entirely convinced,  as she turned to leave the room, “Then I, too, shall get ready…”

“No,” Kaji replied flatly

“What?” The young woman spun back at him in surprise, “But you need me. You know that you’re poor with talking and discussions.”

“Tatsu-san, Kenju-san… everyone will be coming with me. The experiences of Father’s advisors are more than enough help. So, there is no need for you to go through such tedious work as watching a group of men argue about terms and conditions.”  

Yukino shook her head defiantly, “You will be bringing all the key members of our family with you… this is getting even much more suspicious by the minute…”  

“That’s even more the reason why you have to stay. I’ll leave Izumi behind to stay with you…”  

“No. That is not even the issue here. You’re taking me for a fool if you believe you can deceive me,” Yukino stated, carefully measuring her brother with her gaze, “Onnichan, tell me the truth. What is the real reason why you are leaving me behind?”  

“We’re not children anymore, I can’t always depend on you.”  

“I can sense it in your heart, the real reason why you’re refusing to take me with you…” The young woman refused to back down, “I’m… one of Souma-kou’s ‘terms and conditions’, aren’t I?”  

Kaji simply met his sister’s stare, silently, with equal conviction.  

“You’re not being fair, Onnichan.”  

The young man broke the glaring match as his eyes wandered on the scrolls waiting in front of him. He tentatively reached out and picked up a small heavy jade object at the corner of his writing table and traced the contours of their Family Seal with his fingers before speaking, “Father is dead, Yukino. Father is no longer here to protect us and guide our family. Father is no longer here to indulge us. I am the Head of the Mizugawa Family now. I have to start learning my place in order to fulfill my duties. I think it’s about time you start learning yours.”  

The young woman reeled back and stared at her brother in shock, as if he physically slapped her across the face, before bowing down her head to hide her face behind the long tresses, “Baka,” She whispered, her voice trembling with emotion, “Baka neko.” With that, she spun around and half-ran out of room, her footsteps echoing her retreat in the hallways.  

“Hmmmm… well, that went according to how we expected it,” The young man waiting outside the room stated, “Though she’s right, you know. You definitely need to polish your communication skills.”  

“Shut up Izumi,” Kaji shot back, finally letting the anger he was holding back filter out, “It was the truth, and she needed to hear it.”  

“But it’s not the entire truth. Then again, knowing her, she probably would have been more angry if you told her that you were just trying to protect her.” Izumi replied, his voice dropping into a more serious tone, “You’ve always been together, and ever since we were children, she’s always been the voice of reason. Are you sure you’re going to be all right without her?”  

The young man simply replied with silence.  

Izumi finally let out an exasperated sigh as he started to walk down the corridor the ice princess disappeared to, “I give up.”  

Inside his private chambers, the young Master of the Mizugawa House continued to stare at the seal in his hand.  

‘KUSO!’  

He suddenly dropped the object on the floor as an overpowering urge to throw it out the window washed over him.  He buried his face in his arms; ground his teeth, before biting painfully on his lower lip to prevent a scream of frustration from escaping from his throat.  

‘KUSO! KUSO! KUSO!’  

Finally, he stood up abruptly and strode to an open window, letting the fresh breeze blow against his face and cool down his fury. He brushed his fingers over his hair before allowing a harsh whisper to escape his lips.  

“Kuso nezumi.”

End of 1^st Zodiac
Return to Prologue  
Continued on Chapter 2   

Author’s squawk: 

First of all, thank you very much to Mink for correcting my title error! ^_^. I was unsure of how to structure it (Japanese to English I can somewhat decipher, trying to put together English to Japanese… I still get confused), so I did the coward’s way out and copied the structure from another fanfic I read from before... which is unfortunately wrong… ^_^.

 About Yukino’s name and title… I had to do it. It was just begging to be punned! ^_^.  I’m going to put a separate list for the character names, meanings, and equivalents in another page, which will grow longer as I reveal more characters. As for everything else… well, I don’t think the expletives need any translations… ^_^.

 As for the Mizugawa “mystic” background… I actually borrowed the belief from one of the aspects of “Shamanism” (that is, something like having “animal spirit guides”). I don’t know enough of Shintoism to derive anything of the like from “The way of God”. 

 GAH! To tell you the truth… I’m starting to buckle so early in this fic because the chapters are turning out structured differently from how I originally planned. Haaaah… anywayz…

 On a side note, anybody interested in the legend of “Kaguya Hime”, here’s a site that I think has the best version of the tale: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/averbuch/nihonbunka/

Ja!
Ina-chan