Nine Lives

17. Curse

Sei is till upset.

Kuroko knows it even before he opens his bedroom door the next morning. The clatter in the kitchen is louder than usual, as if the familiar is purposely banging the pans and utensils against each other. Kuroko would think Sei is being petty if he didn't actually feel guilty about upsetting the familiar.

Kuroko sits down on the couch after Sei sets down his plate, not as violently as Kuroko thought he would have. It's probably because Sei doesn't want to clean it up if he makes a mess.

Seijurou climbs back onto his chair once he's finished Kuroko's breakfast. He doesn't turn back into his cat form this time. Kuroko is relieved when he doesn't. Instead, though, Sei props his leg up and leans his head against it while looking out the window, as if creating a makeshift wall between himself and Kuroko.

Kuroko just eats, thinking it would be best to not comment. He almost wishes he had class today so he could give Sei some space, but it's Sunday, and his next class isn't until tomorrow at one.

Sei had promised never to leave, but Kuroko wonders if right now that's what he really wants. Kuroko wouldn't blame him if he did leave. After thinking about it after their argument last night, Kuroko realises how hurtful what he was saying must have been to Sei. But the familiar is still here, despite how upset he still is.

"Sei...?" Kuroko asks tentatively after taking his empty dishes to the kitchen sink and getting another cup of coffee. Sei doesn't reply, but Kuroko knows he heard him. "Can you tell me about my family's curse?"

Kuroko takes a seat on the couch and looks over at the familiar hopefully. He cradles his coffee mug in silence for a moment before trying again. "You said something about it being Shirogane's fault we were cursed yesterday, but you've never told me anything else."

Sei is quiet still and Kuroko waits for a couple minutes before almost giving up. It's just when Kuroko lets out a disappointed sigh that Sei finally opens his mouth.

"Your family used to be the most powerful of all the witches in this region." Sei says while Kuroko sips his hot coffee. Kuroko is surprised. Sei doesn't turn to look at him or even move a muscle, but he continues. "The Kuroko's were well known among witches even not from the Coven. Until the curse, it was always a Kuroko who was Coven Head. No one else was strong enough to take the position away from them. Many tried, and all failed. The only one who could beat a Kuroko, was another Kuroko. So, rather than try to make himself stronger, the Shirogane representative at the time decided to make the Kuroko's weaker.

"Curses weren't completely uncommon. There is no law that says one cannot curse another Coven member. It's just common curtesy. No one suspected him when he came for a visit to the Main house. Visitors from the Coven often came for help, or to train themselves, or even just to chat."

Sei moves finally. Kuroko watches him tighten his fist around the material of his pants, and though he can't see it, he knows Sei is frowning deeply.

"I didn't suspect anything, even when I had spotted him in the courtyard at the center of the property. He hadn't looked out of place among the rest of the witches walking around. We didn't find out until years later who had planted the curse."

"How did he do it?" Kuroko prods, trying to keep the familiar talking.

"He had dug a small hole into the base of the tree trunk and placed inside a small hex bag with an already sprouting seed inside. At the time the tree was still only young. With the help of magic, it was easy for the hole to be covered up and for Shirogane to speed up the growth of the seed. The more magic that surrounded the tree, the more the seed grew, and the more the seed grew within the tree, the stronger the curse got.