cursebound. (Earinor & Akira)

"I'm not disappointed to see you instead.", he explained. In fact he was glad to have some room to think. Otoha wouldn't let him and maybe she was angry at him. At the very least she would tell him that she didn't like his plan, that she wanted to feed him souls, just so she could be with him. If it meant his death, would she even want to get rid of this curse? No, would he loved someone like that? She wasn't. She was a good person, a goddess, right? "Otoha asked me to and you needn't share the burden of my crimes. They were your friends, your family." Mikuni-no-Homare knew they were dead, Genji didn't need to sugarcoat that fact, but that didn't mean that he would take it well if he saw their remains. "Once the earth dried up again, I will continue digging them proper graves. Until then, you should remain inside." That was all. He could roam relatively free already. They didn't spread that far, not every room was full of blood, mostly the halls. Genji didn't even remember when he got a weapon and he also didn't remember where he got it from, not that he needed one to kill.

"Just tell me which ingredients you need and I will get them for you. I believe I saw some form of storage room. It remained untouched." No one fled there apparently. Almost no door had been opened, most ran instead of hide. Not that one option was better than the other. "Appease...? Does she really need that?", Genji then asked and looked into the glowing eye once more. She was listening, wasn't she? That's what she said. Genji didn't know much about gods. Otoha was no human anymore, maybe ceremonies were important to help her channel power, but Genji didn't really believe in any of that. He looked at Mikuni again. "Your most logical conclusion was that I run around and bathe and undress people...?", he asked him. How was that logical? "You have no clue what she does when you're asleep, do you...? She told me you might see it in your dreams." He looked at the eye again, wanted to ask her why she didn't just tell him, but albeit opening his mouth, he didn't in the end and instead sighed. "It's alright. So where is this library?"

Compared to Genji, he was but a feeble scholar, a man with no real life experience and an idiot for believing that he, of all people, was capable of doing so many more things than he initially did if he just simply believed in his broken goddess. Not once did she feed him information about his blackout periods and not once did he consider any of that to be suspicious; there was no real harm done to him, and somewhat frankly, it wasn't like Mikuni was unaware of what the world could be like, outside of his priestly bubble. Before long, his eyes were resting on Genji anyway, unable to look away, almost as if another power in his body willed him to do stay as put as he was. It wasn't like he'd lost his mind, rather, it was almost as if he was actively going insane. "She asked you? That is quite generous of her, but I'd rather see it, speak a prayer over them to help them pass on, with your supervision, if that's what it takes. You ... don't need to shield me from it, I saw the carnage at the cathedral either way.", he mumbled, somewhat ashamed that Genji failed at keeping his mind pure, if that had been his attention at the very least. No matter what it was that he did, he'd always find himself in unpleasant situations like these, wouldn't he? In a way, it might have been what he deserved.

"G-Graves? Genji, you really don't have to! Are you hurt? How many did you dig!? Are you alright?", Mikuni yelped and was soon enough all over him. Every single piece of body that was freely available to him, he checked, trying to see blue spots or red markings on Genjis arms or hands, but he found neither. As it stood, he was alright, and much to his surprise - or dismay - he seemed to have somewhat of an enjoyable night, somehow, if he ignored those eyebags that had been there even days before. "I will, but I doubt I can cook in the infirmary, you know? Unless you're fine with gruel, or broth ... we should probably also eat the bread before it becomes too hard or worse, stale.", the priest soon instructed him, without truly and really realizing that it sounded much more like an order than an offer - of course Genji didn't need to, and in all honesty, Mikuni-no-Homare did not expect him to do so for any reason whatsoever. "She should have someone having her back, a loyal follower, you know? It sounds silly, but sometimes I think that all those old scriptures could be quite real." There was no other explanation as he fled from the intense gaze that lay upon him, only to cover that eye of his with his hand. That had to be it - it was unsightly and foreign, in a way, and he'd learned to live without something that he never was supposed to have in the first place. "N-no, my most logical conclusion was, that you had mortal desires, but I don't want to implicate that ... you, a stranger, of all people, would lay their coveted hands ... on someone like me, a fellow man no less ... only to ... ... rid himself ... of the evidence by bathing me?", he whispered and got more and more silent with every word, as he ducked and made a beeline for the next door. "Might? I have had faint dreams about you, some things you said, fragments, but ... not important! The library is this way. Also excuse this unsightly eye and my childish fantasies.", Mikuni cleared his throat and pushed the door open; he led Genji down one of many corridors, in search of the giant library.

Genji averted his gaze. He knew Mikuni saw that, saw him kill Father Semei and those priests that tried to help him. But he didn't see the rest. Did he need to? "I'm sorry.", he mumbled. Mikuni wasn't like them, Otoha had said, he never saw death before, did he? For that he took it surprisingly well. Maybe Otohas presence helped, maybe her feelings poured over or she somehow eased his mind. "Still, outside it is only worse. You can speak your prayers once I am done." There was no use in telling him that their souls were lost, was there? Didn't he tell him before? Either way, he needn't remind him. They wouldn't lie in peace, whatever he did, but if it helped him, Genji didn't want to stop him. He didn't need to see the burnt corpses and the ripped off arms however. That was not a sight for someone like him, for someone who hadn't seen something like that before. There were sacrifices, but probably nothing like that. Not even Genji wanted to look at the pile of bodies.

Suddenly Mikuni stepped forward, grabbed Genjis hands, his cheek and whatever else he could find to check on him. Why did he do that? "I'm fine. A third of them is buried by now. I won't leave them out there longer than necessary.", he promised. His body ached, but he didn't mind it, at least there was some form of punishment. Otherwise he was fine, his body was still trained after all and after the curse vanishing from his body, he usually felt revitalized too. "Where is the kitchen? I will clean the halls and the room itself if necessary.", he simply told him. He wanted a kitchen? He got it. But nobody wanted to cook in a vile and bloody room. Maybe no one had run there, but he couldn't be sure. "For you to be loyal do you need to chant prayers? Excuse my rudeness, it is odd to think of her like that, when I only knew her as human... even though I don't really remember her. I don't think I ever prayed to her at least." The mood changed when Mikuni suddenly got stared at enough and covered his eye and with it the door to Otoha. Genji furrowed his brows only more and once Mikuni tried to flee to the library, Genji held him back. He grabbed his wrist and turned him around again. He pulled his hand from his eye too. "Isn't it time you said something?", he asked, not Mikuni, but Otoha. He wasn't yelling, nor was his grip hard, he sounded more like someone who was picked on by their friends and asked for support, for someone defending him, even if all was just a joke. If she did say anything, Genji didn't hear it and thus he let go of Mikuni again and shook his head with an apologetic sigh. "I'm sorry.", he told him. "I did nothing of that sorts and I think you know that. You wouldn't feel comfortable enough to come this close otherwise, would you? Anyway... you will lock the door to your room from now on, you'll feel saver and there are plenty of other rooms I can sleep in."

Why were they both treating him like a little kid? Mikuni was simply trying to live, but as it seemed, both Genji and Otoha had quite the different idea about what he was allowed to experience and what was something that he should definitely stay away from. What did it matter, if he only had himself to trust like that? He sighed. "You needn't be.", he replied toward Genji and smiled at him, gently yet firmly. They were getting nowhere like this, and Mikuni could feel the tiredness creeping through his bone marrow already, all the way up his spine, until it popped into electrifying nothingness that kept him so painfully awake, it hurt to even consider. "Alright, I will, once you are done, but you don't overexert yourself and also, just get me once you are done, will you?", the priest implored the vagrant. There was little that either of them could do for the other, that much was clear, but in a way, they were both supposed to look out for one another now, despite the trouble that one of them had caused. Otoha - it was weird to call her that, even if not outloud - was a gentle soul, one that would forgive and forget if somebody honored her enough, and Mikuni was nothing more than her loyal vessel, one that had supposedly been raised in her image, just how she would deem it fit.

"Ah, what are you doing!?", he yelped as he was grabbed and torn away from that doorhandle that he was previously trying to grab. Were they not settled on that library? Why on earth would Genji not let him go? It was odd in itself, but there was little that Mikuni could do - it hurt, just the slightest bit, once he wedged himself out of the grasp, only to lose his second hand to Genji. Before he could even say anything about the produce, the kitchen, or what he needed, or anything else, he was being looked at like some sort of scapegoat, something that would fetch a fine price at some sort of slave auction. "Please don't do that.", he pleaded and wrested control of his body away from the wanderer. That had been disturbing, but Otoha only seemed to chuckle in his head and affirm what Genji had been claiming - this wasn't his fault, and Otoha was the one that had taken their shared body for a bit more than a single round to the baths. Mikuni was the one that shook his head. "She told me to tell you that ... nevermind. You are cleared of your suspicions, and now, the kitchen is on the bottom floor of the building with the round windows, across the courtyard from here. But that's not important, I ... Genji, lets just leave it at that. I misunderstood. Let us get to the library and don't worry about improperly addressing the Revelation, she shall allow it, as she knew you back in mortality." After saying all that, he sighed and fiddled with his hair, trying to cover that accursed eye. Otoha saw too much, even when he thought she wouldn't - weirdly enough, things had changed with Genji around. Almost involuntarily, he himself grabbed Genjis hand - a voice in his head told him to - and made way, along the marbled floors and the old carpets, the empty halls that seemed so full of lives not too long ago. Once they stood in front of a doublesided door, he gently nudged the old creaking wood apart and let himself, alongside his guest, in. The smell of old, yellowed books, as well as lost centuries permeated through the air. "What are you looking for? Also ... would you like to pray to her?"

"Why do you care about me...? I know why Otoha does, but you don't owe me anything.", he asked the priest. He was also very capable of taking care of himself. He rather tired himself out and worked himself to the ground than do nothing. That he wanted to find something about Otoha and himself in that library was selfish enough of him. There was no purpose, not for anyone but himself, but he suddenly wanted answers. Supposedly he had a family and supposedly they were still alive, their decendent at least, but mybe that was only wishful thinking on Otohas part. What did she mean with finding her remains? Why would he do that? Maybe Mikuni knew, but he wasn't sure if he should ask while Otoha was listening. She always listened though. Well, she had nothing to hide, did she? Mikuni was the one that was caught in the middle like a child and Genji stepped away a bit more once Mikuni made clear he didn't want to be touched. It was stupid of Genji and not like him. "Tell me what...?", he asked because Mikuni wouldn't say it and instead wanted to show him the library instead.

He raised an eyebrow again. "She shall allow it...? She's playing you... or me... or both of us...", he mumbled. Was she trying to keep up an image in front of Mikuni? Why did she do that? Why not just let him in on everything, why hide how she knew Genji? He didn't say it either, didn't want to disrupt her plans, but he wondered why that was her decision. His hand was grabbed as he was pulled to the library. A large rom with hundreds of books, but hopefully well in order. The priests probably kept this place tidy and in check. For a moment Genji just took in the sight, it was overwhelming, but he also didn't want any help from Mikuni. "Nothing, I will look for it myself and... no I don't want to pray to her and I doubt she'd want me to either." Another odd question, maybe not for a priest though. Other than her being immortal, what made her a goddess? She didn't seem much different to a human, besides the fact that she needed to share her body with one. "I have another question. If someone were to have Otohas remains, what could they do with them?"

“Should I not? I care about more people than I’m willing to admit, yes, but in a sense, I care about everyone. As I should.”, he declared. For one, not only did he like to make somewhat lighthearted jokes about it all, but also appreciate himself being a priest in the first place - he was out to help people, as someone like him should, and nobody would take grotesque joy like that from him. Why would they in the first place? It was dubious to think that, for some reason, it would go down the drain otherwise. “To stop being so uptight and just admit that you like me. Which I doubt. I think she means her, not me, but that is of little concern. You are cleared of any suspicions, Genji.”, Mikuni answered. There was no need to act like a fool, or to be Otohas tool - the latter, he was without his knowledge either way, but now that all three of them were together, in a sense at least, it felt less empty in the monastery, thankfully. As he tried to look for a specific book case, he couldn’t do anything but lose himself in his own thoughts for a minute - what was it that he was looking for and where was he supposed to find it in the first place? Were any of them here or did other convents possess them?

“Huh? Do you want me to talk less formal? It is just the way I was raised, so even if her words sound rather rash and unwelcoming, I like to keep an air of sublimeness about them.” He shot Genji a confused glance soon thereafter - what did he mean with playing? Otoha wasn’t some sort of mortal imp that kept pestering the same few people for something quite stupid like that. Why would she, even? There was little to no concern in Mikunis voice regarding his goddess’ intention or origin as he already took a gander at the books that he was trying to locate; a mistake which could be his downfall if he didn’t carelessly trust Genji. “She likes prayers, in fact, she just told me she’d find it rather funny if you prayed to her. She’d even reward it, she tells me.”, Mikuni giggled in tandem with his goddess - now those two were playing with that poor man while going through a multitude of books already, but still, he’d rather wished himself a few moments of drowsy silence, now that he’d learned of it when Otoha truly slept. Maybe Genji could tucker her out at night? But requesting that seemed rather … harsh. Soon enough, Mikuni stopped in his tracks, as another question befell him out of nowhere. “Her remains? I assume wipe her out completely. Potentially control her and make her do their bidding, in a sort of blackmail scenario. Why are you asking? I can’t let you have them, if that’s what you mean - not that I possess them, to be fair.”, the man voiced rather exasperated. What was Genjis goal?

"The world is a dangerous place. People are dangerous, you saw that. You should not trust lightly, especially not with a goddess in your head.", he told Mikuni with a hint of a sigh. It was somewhat of a good quality, but if he hadn't let Genji in, maybe no one would have died. If he stayed close now, he again was in danger as soon as the curse started growing again. "Whether I like the two of you or not is of no concern.", he elaborated further. "I'm too dangerous to stay around you. Not right now, but I will be. For the time being we can stay here. She told me you don't want to leave. You can't stay here on your own however. We will find a place to live for you. Maybe somewhere nobody knows of your eye, if you want to." He couldn't stay here. Once someone started asking questions, once someone wanted to know what happened here, they would blame the only one left - Mikuni. This place was save for now, Genji doubted it had a lot of visitors, but eventually someone would come.

"What I meant is... nevermind." He wouldn't call her 'the revelation' or 'goddess'. He also believed she didn't actually want that. If someone wanted it it was Mikuni. Genji started looking through the library, randomly starting at some row. He wanted to know more about what history had to tell about Otoha and maybe himself. "I bet she'd find it funny...", he mumbled. He wouldn't pray for her. Maybe it was a mistake, but praying to someone he hugged only recently felt odd. Maybe he should pray to someone else? Did he ever try? Probably... but not even a goddess who gave a damn about him wanted to help him. She sent him to find her remains though. Why? To die with him and the world? Or was she hinting at him, that he could force her to help him. He agreed though, having her remains was too dangerous. What if her soul lingered on? The curse would reap her and in the end, Genji couldn't destroy her. She'd be lost as well. "Nevermind... it doesn't matter." He picked one of the many books to open it up and randomly read some pages.

“They needn’t know about her, and as things stand, I still trust whoever I want to. In all honesty, maybe my trust in you might be misplaced, but let’s face it. You, as a whole, are not what hates or would kill me.”, Mikuni blabbered. No, Genji was not the man he suspected to be the one doing the killing, and alas, even if he were, he was putting on a good enough act of somebody that cared for others and gave him a reason to simply enjoy what little freedom he’d found in the world before that. Was it odd to consider himself lucky to have met Genji, or was it worse that he figured Genji was lucky to have met him, and by extension, Otoha? “Let us talk about the fabric of time and the impending future later, it’s … somewhat odd to consider that I’m free to go now, I don’t know if I even can.”, Mikuni sheepishly admitted as he dug himself through a few books. Prayers or not, there had to at least be copies somewhere, from the time the monastery had been formed and shaped. Was it too much to ask that they fell into his laps? Perchance it also was more grueling to figure out where someone had stored them, if anything. “She tells me that you are being quite stoic today and has asked that you soften up; she likes you very much.”

To him, his goddess seemed more like a partner in crime than anything; it was somewhat weird to think about it in such a grand capacity. “Why is that, hm? To me, she seems rather relaxed and more joyful since you came around.”, the priest admitted as he peeled an old, rotting book from the shelves and carefully flipped through the dying pages. There was nothing, if not too much pressure on both of them - and when they were around one another, it almost seemed like it healed them both; Otoha was behaving weirdly in his opinion, but to Genji, nothing seemed off. Had she been like that before? In her lifetime? Many questions accumulated in his head and few of them actually got through - ironically enough, he found a fitting passage soon enough, a rite about the passing of time and the rising of a strange goddess, wise beyond her years. As Genji went elsewhere to look, he couldn’t see him but definitely hear. “Does it? If that’s the case, I do have a question.” His gaze fell upon the pages that were dotted with old, smeared ink - who wrote this copy and who approved of such a shoddy job? Mikuni felt almost inclined to redo it on Otohas behalf. “Did you miss her?” Otoha laughed - was that so funny?

"I would have killed you, if you weren't immortal.", he reminded the priest. "No matter how I seem on the outside and no matter how much someone needs help, you never know what they are capable of." They shouldn't have let him in or at the very least researched him before they drove a knife in his back. It probably wasn't the first occurrence he was treated like this and it wouldn't be the last. He deserved to die and if he could he would without any resistance. He didn't give Mikuni another answer. He knew that Otoha 'liked' him. Genji still wasn't sure if he should stay, if he should be around Mikuni and Otoha. It was easier to say no if she wasn't controlling this body and if it wasn't her soft voice calling out for him. Should he truly search for her remains? Where was their family now? There had to be books about it, but thus far every book he took was quite unhelpful. At least he finally found the section about Otohas history. It was about her as a goddess, but he didn't care about that, he cared about the time before all that, so he kept searching.

"I suppose she missed me. But I am not who she knew back then. I have changed. I don't know why, or when, but I did and I don't want to be the person she remembers so dearly." He didn't want to kill. Not for her, not for himself, not for anybody. He couldn't understand how he ever allowed himself to. And he couldn't understand how he allowed himself a wife and children. Otoha said the curse didn't spill over to them, but what if it had? What were they thinking...? Finally there were some books from before her ascension and Genji pulled them out to bring them over to a large table next to the window. Mikuni meanwhile kept asking questions, that seemed to be his thing. "You cannot miss what you don't remember existed.", he answered while opening the first book. "I suppose I feel like I have missed her, but I also don't know anything about her." He sighed shortly. "Didn't you want to go and pray? Oh... maybe stay clear of the altar room... I haven't cleaned there yet." Otoha must have dragged Seimeis corpse outside to the others, but there was still blood there, some of which was Mikunis.

“If I had simply listened to you, none of this would have happened either way. I should have told Father Seimei to stop his foolishness and accept everything for what it was - but instead, he still picked you as a sacrifice.”, Mikuni sighed, astonished by the fact that Genji was, after all, only blaming himself and nobody else. Why would he, though? Maybe he was right about all that he said, all that he claimed, and the young priest that sucked up to him, much like a little duckling, in the search of a mother, wasn’t taking his statements at face value. “It’s not like seeing the good things in people will kill me, though. At least not now that I know what I’m capable of.”, he murmured. It hurt, and he didn’t want it to happen again. Otoha encouraged him, encouraged it, not to make him hurt more, but rather to help him be someone that eventually would feel numb to pain. Would he want that, to aspire to be like somewhat of a great hero, an immortal being that stood above all, if only for a limited amount of time? For a moment, he considered it, thought about how nice it must feel, before he swallowed that bitter pill of his again. It was idiotic.

“I’m not one to judge, merely one that asks questions.”, he told Genji eventually. Whatever the case, he was just interested in all of that - there certainly was no use in thinking about it in a different way and now that he had what he wanted, he’d much rather perform those prayers than offer someone like Genji needless, brainless smalltalk that only would serve to anger him. “Would you be able to help me forget then? Or what about her? Though, I suppose I already have tried my luck in that regard and haven’t gotten all that far.”, Mikuni informed the blonde stranger as he shoved his fingers between some pages that he closed shut. Better than nothing; he’d simply pray elsewhere if he couldn’t go to the altar - there was plenty of other places on this mountain. “I got curious and somewhat carried away, but I’ll go now if you let me. Actually, Genji, I’ll probably spend some time praying - would you mind getting me whenever you’re done? It’s out by the walls along the wall structure, in the wooden confessional. You should have no problems spotting that thing.”, he quickly informed the man, who had his own problems at hand - before he could even say something to him, to stir him off his course, he was already out of the library. There were better things to do than being chastised.

Genji didn't answer anymore. He was consumed with his books. Even if he knew how to deliberately forget things, he wasn't sure if he wanted to teach something like that to that boy. Either way, if he wanted to, couldn't he just vanish into the back of his mind and let Otoha live his life? Maybe that wasn't exactly what he wanted. Genji noticed him leave, but soon enough tried to find something of value of Otoha again. Getting Mikuni when he was done was easier said than done. Genji didn't know how long he sat there and read. He didn't notice the time passing, he needed to find something about Otoha and himself. By now there were plenty more books on his tabe. At the start he brought the ones that had nothing for him back, but by now he just left them, some still open on random, unhelpful pages. There were mentions of Otoha, that she came from a rich family, that her father died when she was still young and that she was called to do good for the world.

The books told stories about her vanquishing evil. Demons, but also corrupt people. She helped the poor and wea. But there was no mention of Genji, none at all. None of these books talked about a man on her side, not even another one and no record mentioned any children either. Was it to protect her family? Maybe, but her death was descried as a joyous occasion she awaited for years. That wasn't how she described it either. The human Otoha vanished and the goddess wouldn't be found for another hundred years. Loosing a goddess initiated another age of darkness. No one banished the demons anymore and no one protected the young and weak in her stead. All they could do was apparently hope for her return, for her to save them. Powerful demons started to roam the lands, more powerful than before and they would almost annihilate the whole covenant. And still, there was nothing about her husband, or her children, nothing at all. Genji continued searching however.

Mikuni had gone to the confessional and prayed there - the little splatters of blood and whatever charred parts he saw, he mainly ignored - there was no need for him to even think about the fact that Genji wanted to intentionally see him again, or get him. In fact, the moment he emerged from his self-sought torture chamber was, when it was well past midnight and Otoha was telling him to not nod off in the stuffy room that he kneeled in all day long - it was harsh, even though he did not want it to be - but physical practice was meant to steal not only soul but his body as well; it was meant to give him much more of a though exterior than anticipated. Priests were enduring, yes, they had been all his life so far, but if Mikuni-no-Homare gave it a second, or maybe even a third thought, maybe those ways of life were not meant for him - in a sense, maybe he was meant for greater things, or even lesser ones, as time went on. Whatever the case, he was trying to establish a boundary, not only for himself, but also for those thoughts of his, all of which ran rampant while he prayed to Otoha, loud and clear, as she could hear him. All that she did was chuckle and spur him on; it was no proper gospel, but good enough.

Mikuni wanted nothing more than to get to Genji, to remind him to drink and eat, but his goddess was the one that was telling him it was quite futile - he’d not achieve much if he pleaded with the vagrant, though she’d be able to. To him, all of this was idiocy, but even when he went back to the library and peered inside, he found the blonde hidden behind a stack of books, sifting through them and reading what interested him - there was little he could actually do to help him with that, and Mikuni then decided to call it a night. This time, unlike he had been advised to, he did not lock the door, in hopes of Genji also coming by to take a nap, at the very least - he did not, but the partially fitful sleep that the priest had was an odd one, nothing that he’d ever come up with himself in all those years. Whatever or not it was one of Otohas memories, he could not tell, but once he rose, he wished for it to leave his mind - it should disappear, sooner than later, but that didn’t stop him from being somewhat hot and bothered when he woke up. He’d worked up a sweat, somehow, and made a beeline for the bath - it was clean, and he soon was, too. The sins of yesterday were washed away soon enough - Mikuni could not help himself but disregard them, get rid of the water and then, once everything was lost to a passage of time, dress himself appropriately once more - this time he even covered that damned eye. Even if Genji had asked him to steer clear of the kitchen, or the path to it, Mikuni carried himself there, in a miserable attempt to avoid the carnage. He sprinted across the stained cobblestone and gravel, into the kitchen, which was similarly covered in someones … remains? Blood? He couldn’t tell - he brushed past it all, into the pantry, as he stomached all of this at once, maybe threw up bile in a corner and then tried to clean it away. All he had was a basket of fruit and vegetables, which he hauled back to the library, once he was certain that he had calmed down. The priest knocked, trying to be polite - Genji still sat there. “Genji? Did you sleep at all? I brought you food …”

Genji didn't understand. Why was there no mention of him anywhere? Well, he could have understood that, the goddess related to a monster like him? That didn't cast a good light on a goddess. What about her children though? There were only mentions of her father, no one else. It was as if her other family never even existed. They wiped her children out of history and Genji as well. It didn't matter hoe many books he read, how many more he got from the shelves, the stories albeit varying did not change much. Otoha was a kind hearted warrior that saved the world and would do it again. She'd bless people with strength and endurance and she'd rid the world of corruption. The fact that there was little left in the world seemed to have helped her covenant. There was no room for a family and certainly not for a monster she should have slain, not loved. She didn't lie to Genji though, of that he was sure. Her stories were the truth, not the stories in those books. It had to be.

Genji didn't notice the time passing and he didn't notice Mikuni coming in right away. "I don't understand...", he mumbled to himself, only to be caught off guard by the priest that barged in again. Genji looked at him confused, then at the window. It was still day and the sun shone into the window. "Sleep? It's still daylight.", he answered confused, questioning why he should go to bed before nightfall. he left quite a mess around here. He didn't mean to, but at some point he had started to search frantically for a book that included only the smallest little mention of their supposed family. He'd leave the books that ended without them in it and grabbed the next only to be disappointed again. At least one of them had to have answers. It had to explain what happened after Otohas death, it had to tell them that their children lived.

Dumbfounded as always, he looked at the stranger - the foreigner in his home - and wondered what he meant. If he‘d find it more comforting to have Otoha by his side than a nosy priest, he did not know, but little did it matter anyway - he was him, not some sort of goddess. “You don’t understand what?”, he asked, cocking his head up as he intensely looked at the blonde with the one remaining eye he had to offer him. There was little he could gift him, aside from mere sympathy, and more that he wanted to try to offer him, but he knew that it was almost useless. Before long, he sat himself opposite of Genji at that lambasted table, entirely consumed by all those damned pieces of paper. Before even taking a second glance at them, he put the basket on the table with an almost thunderous thudding noice - the apricots wouldn’t break from being treated somewhat harshly, but they clearly would rouse Genji in one way or the other. “All those books didn’t help? Did they confuse you, or whatever else is it that ails you?” Once more he couldn’t really help this man, but he could reach into the basket and offer him an apricot.

The sweet fruit of the orchard was bound to boost anyones mood, if only for a limited amount of time, but even still, it wasn’t bad to have it - alas, even somebody like a lawless, ancient man might enjoy it to his heart content. The priest yawned, rubbed his eye and then, furthermore, couldn’t help but chuckle. What a silly man Genji was. “What? Genji, I prayed for hours. It was dark when I got out of the confessional, and I slept afterward. I even took a shower and changed my clothes, got my eyepatch, made my hair. You’ve been sitting here since yesterday afternoon, get up and eat something.”, the priest chastised his fellow man. This guy truly was quite the idiot, much like Otoha had claimed not too long ago - but whatever the case, Mikuni wasn’t one to judge, and in fact, this probably would not offend the immortal either. Was Otoha sad to not see him? Maybe, but she was quietly giggling still, only ever hearing what they were talking about - not once did she see what it was that was transpiring before the two of them. “We can go pick more fruits if you want to get out, or perhaps you’d prefer fresh meat? I can show you were we keep what little gear we have.”, he mumbled, grabbing an apricot for himself. “What’s ailing you? You look troubled.”

Genji looked up surprised, as if he had forgotten Mikuni was here, then he looked at the basket full of fruit that landed harshly on his table among all the books he got. What did the priest want? For him to eat? Maybe he should. "You sound just like her...", he mumbled a bit confused. Their speech patterns aligned right now, but he wasn't sure who he wanted to talk to right now, or if he wanted to talk at all. The priest reached into his basket and pulled out one of the fruits, only to offer it to him, like he once did before in that orchard. Hesitantly Genji took it, but he didn't eat right away. "So I've been reading a whole day...? I should not let those poor priests outside wait any longer...", he mumbled and got up. Then he looked at the mess he made, the table full of books that needed to be sorted back into the right place. He wasn't sure about the priorities, maybe he could do it later, although, right now, he was already here.

"Ah... I don't mind the fruit. It all tastes the same to me. Unless you want me to go hunt.", he told Mikuni slowly. Then he looked at the apricot in his hands, but if he were to eat it now, his hands would get dirty and then how would he bring the books back to the shelves? He didn't want to ruin anything else in here. He looked back at Mikuni and sighed. He was troubled by what he found, or rather, by what he didn't. "None of these books mention me. None of them mention Otohas family. I guess it makes sense for history to wipe me out, her knowing a monster she didn't slay would not look good on paper I assume. But she told me w-... she had a family. Children. There is no word about them, nothing at all. Only her father is mentioned and I can't say I feel well when I hear or read his name. I have no memories of him, just know I didn't... like him, I guess." He wasn't sure if like was the right word, but all he could go off of was a vague feeling in his gut.

What was this guy on? A multitude of drugs? Some sort of absolute sleep withdrawal? Whatever the case, Mikuni should care more, but right now, the tiredness in those big, blue eyes was even more comforting than initially anticipated - even if confusion filled them rather sooner than later, and the priest wasn’t so sure if he should have played along with Genjis forgetfulness instead. “I am still me, not her. You should really take a nap.”, he implored the blonde, somewhat concerned. Did he sound like Otoha? Given, his wording was somewhat harsh at parts, but not once did he believe himself to be just like her - in all actuality, he was nothing more than a tether to the mortal world that she could not access without a vessel, and as it had happened, he’d been the one that was chosen as such. “You have. And you should eat first, and then rest. Drink something. In a sense, you’re still human, are you not? Take care of yourself, who knows what will happen to you once you get older.”, Mikuni sighed, all vigor drained from his somewhat exhausted voice. Waking up and finding this man, completely confused and puzzled, was one way to experience the world, but in any other way, it seemed to be simply … troubling.

“I need no meat, but what do you mean it tastes all the same? Like … what does it taste like? Good, bad? Do you prefer meat?”, he asked, more out of curiosity than much else. Genji was, after a second thought, quite the distinguished man from his peers. Not only did he look the part, but whereas Mikuni wanted to claim that all that Genji had in mind was a rather refined taste, he also knew that it was not, under any circumstance, like that. Had the curse affected him, taught him things about the world that nobody else wished to know, robbed him of the finer things in life or was it simply as willed by all that existed and the passage of time? As the man stood up and looked at what he’d been offered, rather puzzled, too, the priest simply sighed. He behaved like an old man with too much on his little plate - and nothing if not ample palate. As he listened to the ramblings of that madman, Mikuni froze and stopped in his tracks upon hearing the last sentence for himself. They had what now? Genji had already slipped, but Mikuni found it rather … troubling to hear of such mortal things. Didn’t they teach them something else? “Genji, you two had children?” The priest furrowed his brows. Otoha was silent, almost as if she’d fallen into her slumber again, out of boredom no less. “Then you were intentionally wiped from history. Blacked out of new scriptures, torn from the pages in the old ones - so were your children. We can look for olden scriptures, but I doubt we have any that aren’t composted … maybe Father Seimei has some? Either way, please sit down.” Mikuni got up himself and grabbed Genjis hand. “Eating while standing is bad manners. Try to calm down and explain it to me, rationally.”

"I have much to do... I am fine.", he mumbled. It was hard for him to fall asleep in the first place and with all those questions in his head it seemed impossible. There was too much he didn't understand and too much he tried to remember but couldn't. He could only take Otoha by her word and conclude that his feelings were valid when he heard about his lost family, or about her father. He felt like he missed her, although he didn't remember her and he trusted her all those years ago. There was no feelings he could find in himself about their children, but there was no reason for her to lie about this. He completely forgot she existed as well and his feelings for her, until he met her again through this priest, by pure chance as it seemed. "Once I get older..?", Genji asked. What a weird thing to say. He shook his head. "I am already at least 800 years old according to Otoha and these texts that talk about her as a human." He would never grow old.

"All I eat tastes like nothing much... like mud...", Genji explained unsure why this was important. Didn't he tell him something similar before? Meat or not, he didn't enjoy eating, he did it to merely stay alive. Suddenly Mikuni grabbed his hand, which confused Genji who had believed the priest was scared of him and only took his help, because he needed it before. He almost pulled it away, but in the end decided not to, instead he realized he was caught and Mikuni knew exactly what he tried not to say. "She said so...", he answered carefully and let himself be seated back on one of the chairs. "Rationally...? Nothing about a cursed monster and a goddess who once knew each other is rational." And Genji was tired of relaying Otohas words to Mikuni, when he himself didn't understand most of what she said. "I can't relate to the man she describes when she talks about how she knew me. I can't imagine having children but she said we had and that her remains should be with their descendants. She wants me to find them before she is willing to help me.", he told the priest. Why would he mistrust him? Otoha was able to keep him in check, right? Some things about the control over this body and about what happened in this monastery still didn't make sense to Genji however. Her choices didn't either, but he had to realize that she probably knew a completely different person. One who killed and was allowing himself to have children even though he couldn't have known if the curse would effect them or not. She was still the same, only wore a different body and Genjis body in turn hadn't changed one bit, but he wasn't the same person anymore. They hardly knew each other, did they? "All I can find are texts about her and her father however. I feel like he shouldn't be that important to her story... but yet he is. I don't know why, she would know. There is no point in asking me really..."

"I can't do nothing." He should clean up the mess he made in the library, then resume the cleaning of the monastery and since a day has gone by already, the soil outside should have dried up, so Genji could continue digging graves for the ones he killed. Maybe Mikuni was right in that Genji should probably sleep eventually, but he doubted he could with so much on his plate and so much unfinished business. Even though he didn't have to fight the curse now, it was only a matter of time and until then he should have cleaned up here and found a place to live for Mikuni. "My body won't die.", Genji simply stated. Why would it after hundreds of years in which nothing about it changed. He'd always be in this body that stopped aging in his early twenties. Mikuni was the one growing older, with a body that might not be fit to harbor a goddess. It was possible he'd die before his time. It was true though that Genji needed to eat and sleep and he felt a bit shaky and his muscles hurt, that was no age issue however. Anyone would feel like that if they hadn't slept for a day and had done hard labor just the other night. "The curse heals my body, not only from wounds and old scars. In fact, when the curse grows far enough, I doubt I still have to eat or drink."

Genji slowly shook his head and sighed. "You ask too many questions.", he pointed out. "I simply don't enjoy eating, I do it because I have to. I can smell just fine." Maybe too good even. There was a certain smell to blood and death, even if it had been washed away. It was what he was able to smell in that big room where they planned to kill him too. He could smell it now too, from outside, even in the halls he thoroughly cleaned. He also felt Otohas touch, he simply grew numb and unimpressed by pain. He felt so much of it, he got used to it. "She certainly won't do it for free... " And she sounded like she wanted to die with him. He couldn't die though, then again, letting the curse take over his body completely and just staying sealed away somewhere was as close to death as he could imagine. Would she plunge the world into chaos only to help him? He believed she would, but in actuality, he didn't know her. Maybe she made half of her stories up, just so Genji would go looking for something that he could never find, just to make him stay alive, but stop asking her to seal him away. Would she do that? "I doubt she knows what happened after her death any more than we do. Let her sleep...", Genji mumbled. "I believe her father was a powerful man before Otoha ascended, but none of the books speak of that. He however, according to these, became the first head priest and he spread the word of a new goddess. Blessed by divine power himself he cleansed the world from countless demons and disbelievers corrupted by magic. Afterwards the books stories start to drift apart. Some say he died in peace, of old age, others say a powerful demon killed him."

"Possibly, you could. I mean, you're a guest, not a priest.", Mikuni tried to assure his esteemed companion. No longer was there any need for the two of them to quarrel endlessly or even claim that they did not like where any of this was going - they had had their chance, then they had fucked up, and thus, both now suffered the consequences. One of them mentally, the other mostly physically. It was hard to admit to such a thing, he'd give Genji that, but on the other hand, it was very much all they could do for each other. "But it will be strained, no? Isn't being immortal mentally taxing as well?", he questioned. Given the fact that Genji always seemed to be preoccupied with something, he guess that it might not be, but on the other, less cheerful end, he was very much aware of the fact that his knight in vile armor was nothing but a figment of his imagination, possibly at the very least. If Otoha - if the Revelation - willed it, there was no way he could do anything about it, but on the contrary, he was painfully aware of the fact that he chose to interact with a sinner, out of his volition as well. Why was he so damn obsessed with being friends with this man? A nice touch or even some sort of stupid quest to get back the goddess remains would do nothing for either of them, he was fairly sure of that, and yet, he'd tag along regardless, figuring that those two would desire one anothers companionship.

Mikuni sighed. Now he was being less than appreciative, but he hardly cared. "Then what's wrong with your tongue if that curse of yours can heal any ailment? There must be something you can enjoy, and I doubt eating mud is one of them." Curious he was, nonetheless. Silence not only befell him and his thoughts, however, but also those damn ears of his, that apparently loathed lsitening closely to a man that was telling him a story about his life. Was he not capable of appreciating stories anymore? Possibly. And yet, on the other hand, the priest was clearly listening. "Also, as if you beloved goddess asks any less questions.", he murmured. Naturally, he was behaving like a brat just now, maybe even an idiot - no doubt about the fact that he, despite everything, retained some sense of humanity; or maybe the attitude of his beloved goddess spilled over. "Who knows? I can figure out how to force her to do it for free, if you were interested." She was definitely listening, but her sole remaining priest did not care - they were in the same boat and the only believer she had right now, aside from a lover that saw her as but her human self, wasn't going to stop asking questions about either of them. Rather, he'd grown curious about every inch of their relationship and, as such, was desiring some sort of insight. Letting her sleep was a choice, sure, one that he respected with but a nod, as Genji waxed on about what he'd found out in a days time - one that had passed by him, in the blink of an eye, while this humble priest was doing but child's play, keeping away from him for some well-deserved alone time on both of their parts. "Hm, I ... I fail to be capable of answering that question of yours. She probably really won't know either, but have you tried to cross-reference those sources? One of them might have slipped up somewhere.", he proposed, sounding much like an idiot while doing so. This was heir only lead for now, however. "I suppose you weren't around anymore, considering you'd have had to follow that doctrine of his and be aware of Her godly existence. Whatever could have happened to that man, though? He'd be our first hierophant, the oldest head priest himself. I suppose Father Seimei has the answer to our questions, or maybe his own writings. Care to join me on a walk to his chambers?", Mikuni proposed instead, just to quench both of their thirst for knowledge. If she truly had been human once - his goddess, that was - there had to be concise but truthful death records somewhere, of all of those who had passed.