cursebound. (Earinor & Akira)

"That's not the point...", Genji mumbled and he was pretty sure Mikuni knew that. He'd killed all of them and because of him Mikuni was all alone now. Otoha additionally told him to take care of Mikuni and that he'd not do well if he were to see the horrors that were left in those hallways and outside. That meant Genji needed to clean up after that curse of his. "I suppose so..." Was it mentally taxing to be immortal? He forgot too many things, that he knew, yet he couldn't be sure why he did. Either way, staying awake for a day or two wasn't what was at fault here. Mikuni seemed much like a child and Genji wondered if he ever had any patience for his own. Did they even tell them about the curse? Did Otoha tell them goodbye before she left to die? Genji didn't even remember their faces, let alone their names. He sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes people just don't find any joy in life anymore. They don't have to be over 800 years old for that." There was nothing wrong with his tongue, he was just tired of living and everything that had to do with it.

"I am the one asking Otoha about many things. She rarely asked me anything in return." She only asked him what happened to him to have him change this much, but that question was less directed at Genji and more at the world, at fate, or whatever was at play here. "You think you can force a being like Otoha, a goddess to do what you want? Don't burn your fingers trying. There are beings a mortal can never win against." Genji knew all too well what he was talking about in that regard. "Why do you assume someone 'slipped up' as if it wasn't true what they've written? Albeit unlikely from a mans point of view, that cannot even remember his own kin, I don't see why it wouldn't be true somehow. I checked every book in this library, they all tell a similar story, at least at the start.", he answered the priest. "I can't believe that I just left or went into hiding. For all I know I could be that powerful demon the books talk about, the one killing Otohas father, yet I wouldn't understand why it took so long... I do not want to kill. No one, not under any circumstance, but if Otoha is to be believed I was much different then. So much so that the curse never really took hold of me, because I fed it well enough. I do know that I hated this man, I can feel it when I read his name, but I can not remember why." Genji sighed again, then he nodded to get up even though Mikuni wanted him to sit down just minutes ago. "I am not sure if his story is important, but I am willing to dig deeper."

That was a reply he could have counted on. Mikuni mulled over it, questioned himself as he went along - there was little he could come up with, even less that made sense to him and yet, for whatever cursed reason, he was the one that had opened pandoras box and was now leading both of them inside, wasn't it so? He stretched, wondered, why it was his cross to carry, wondered, why Otoha of all people was attached to him - why he was the chosen vessel, why Genji was the one chosen to suffer. Fate certainly had to be a cruel mistress, in all walks of life and in all aspects of existence, was it not? "Well, they could be 28 instead, having spent their life on a secluded mountain, in a monastery, that worshipped and yet hated him. I can't share your pain, I don't, after all, I yearn for what is beyond these halls, though, I have to admit that, at this point, I'm unsure if I truly want to see it.", he mumbled, puffing his cheeks soon thereafter. If anything, Mikuni-no-Homare had been kept prisoner up here and, much to his own chagrin, was now suffering the consequences of such a lacking education - of so much missing knowledge, a realization that only hit him now, when it was much too late to combat any of what had transpired. Dreams, ideals, friend; Genji had shattered most, and yet, he'd opened new, almost silly ways of life for him to explore, paths to take. However, he wasn't grateful.

"Probably because she knows anyway. Gods always hear everything, everywhere and it's not like I'm her first or last vessel. She will survive, maybe even both of us.", the priest declared eventually. Should Genji seek death to escape his existence, to set free what was not meant to be accumulated in the first place, he'd be a dead man, not a living man suffering the consequences. Even from the brink of death onwards, they would walk different paths of life, a split existence. "Burn my fingers? This is my body, I could very well remove her and leave her without a vessel. Don't take me for a fool, Genji. Not a complete one, at the very least." Still, this man was right. Mikuni had not only nowhere to go, he also had no reason to tear one of his eyes from his skull, even if it were to be covered, useless to him - it was good to have, smart to avoid stories with and forever it was worth, he gained a companion that he'd not be able to rid himself of in a long time. "I assumed someone slipped up because you told me there are different endings to that story, depending on what version you read. Genji, are you dense or not listening to me?", Mikuni eventually asked, rather agitated by that statement itself. What was there to explain? Was this old mans brain rotting or something? What a waste o- no, no, everything was fine. The younger one of the duo sighed and stood up, making way for the door. "Alright, let's find out why you hate that guy so much, shall we? After me, please. Digging deeper is nothing you can do here, trust me." What an unpleasant walk this would be - hopefully, the blonde wouldn't patronize him too much.

"The life beyond those walls was much more dangerous when I would have been around your age. In this time of age you probably met the most dangerous being out there already and you have another one with you. You are young, you should go see what you want to see, but first, your body needs to recover fully and your mind as well. Death always takes a toll, on all of us. I am sorry.", Genji replied truly sorry. If he had been a bit stronger, maybe Father Seimei and the priests that wanted to help him had been enough, but at this point Genjis mind was broken. He was tired of fighting that thing and tired of living. He wanted to hide away ven if it meant giving up control. He fought with the curse and himself constantly to not let that happen and he already dreaded the day he felt its presence again. It couldn't take much longer. One or two days of peace were all he would get and only because that thing had to fight Otoha and it wore them both out.

"As much as I want to die, I don't think I ever can." And that wasn't what he had asked of Otoha either. Being sealed away was their savest option, but only she was strong enough to do something like that. He shook his head, this boy knew less than he himself did. "You are a fool if you think your body wouldn't perish without her holding it together, especially after..." He stopped. If he'd been able to, he would have killed this boy. Otoha already wasn't very fond of this body was she? If she could she would have taken Genjis right away, but even she knew the curse was too much of a problem. Genji didn't know if his body could house both of them in the first place, even though having her near was a comforting thought. Genji grew tired of fighting over things with this kid he knew nothing about and he sighed. His head hurt already and maybe sleep would have been the better option after all. "The ending is not what concerns me. The start is. He shouldn't be mentioned in the first place.", he tried to explain. Mikuni was the one not listening, but he followed him.

This time, he listened, to stories of ages past - he had no interest in them, knew they wouldn't transpire again, and yet, it was fun to hear of them out of the mouth of a man that, all things considered, outlived any of Otohas followers and even her mortal form. She was a goddess, yet, the human most dear to her was a wretched being that had lived hundreds of years, just because of some sort of curse that had taken ahold of him - that decided, that no matter what, he was to live eternally. Mikuni could not fathom what his life would be, could not decide if he wanted to share this sort of immortality with a man he barely knew, but he was damn sure that, eventually, the Revelation would fail him and his body would crumble to dust, in a hundred years time or less. Human - he was human, Genji simply wasn't anymore, even if he'd been born as one. "You needn't be. It was outside of your control, it has happened. Sometimes, doing ones best is simply not good enough.", he dismissed the apology. This was going to lead nowhere - he was sad, he grieved in his own way, yes, but his body, which had been smashed to pieces, took priority. The dead could be mourned whenever, they wouldn't rise in two days time.

"We shall find a way to at least relieve your pain, in some way. There ought to be something - one last shot won't hurt anyone." It never did, could bring hurt upon a world that was no ones but a single mans - someone that had lived entirely too long and now seemed to be fearful of a continued, infinite, endless existence. How much did it hurt? Did he not yearn for companionship, for another person to keep him on his feet? "We can try. If I perish after removing her existence from myself, after losing all that holds me together, then I truly am ungrateful and foolish and died as such. But if it doesn't, I might have a shot at a normal life myself.", he declared. His feet led both of them up some stairs, spiraling into madness until they reached the top of a tower that, all things considered, might as well just be another display of decadence, of the difference between a regular priest and someone like Father Seimei, who had perished alongside all of this subjects, scattered in the winds alongside his crude beliefs. "Hm, that is confusing indeed. Why would someone make such claims, though? Someone had to be the first priest, someone has to be mentioned somewhere." Mikuni opened the door, the smell of musty books filled his nostrils soon enough. As always, he walked over to the windows and opened the curtains, to get some light into this messy place. "The search is on!"

"I hardly did my best...", Genji answered mumbling. He hid deep inside the darkness the curse created in his mind. He didn't want to fight anymore and even though he didn't want to admit it, he wished for that headpriest to bw punished foe what he did to Genji and so many before him. He wouldn't have killed him himself and he didn't want him dead, nor did he want to kill anyone else, but that shortsighted little thought that crossed his mind for a mere second was enough to fuel the curse, to make it break free with such a might. Genjis body might have not been his own in that moment, but he was still responsible for their deaths and he was still not stopping that curse to continue for what must have been hours. When he thought about the state of this place he felt sick to his stomach, not because of the smell, or the state of the corpses, but because he knew that they all died by his hand. He wished for this world to be hell, that it was only his personal afterlife and he died somewhere hundreds of years ago, without anyone noticing. It was what he deserved, no other human bein deserved to be caught up in his curse.

"You don't have to help me...", Genji told the priest. "You don't owe me anything, neither does Otoha." He didn't want ro ruin this priests life, not more than he already did. If he found Otohas remains, maybe she would grant his request, but that was a task he could try and complete on his own. He didn't think he'd forget what he set out to do anytime soon. "You can have a normal life now. Once you're better and ready to leave, I will bring you somewhere safe. Live out your days in peace and don't waste a thought on me." A place where no one knew him, a place he could be himself and a place where nobody would bother him or Otoha. Still he followed Mikuni up that tower and into Father Seimeis chambers. "The only person that would want to lie about him being head priest would have been himself, which is why I think he might have very well been... Even though it feels wrong to me.", he mumbled. The question was how and why, not who. Maybe Otoha did know, was there even any point in knowing? They wouldn't find her remains like this and the family they once had was long gone. Still Genji pulled out a random dusty book to scan its contents and see what it was about. Magic apparently, magic, curses and the corruption... "Did he ever heal a single soul...?", Genji voiced his thoughts out loud without thinking.

"What makes you say that?", Mikuni eventually questioned. There was eternal turmoil within a man that, for better or for worse, saw himself embroiled in a conflict that he, for one reason or another, was unable to stand - unable to gauge as something worthwhile for himself. Whatever the case, he could hardly blame someone like Genji for anything, and as his religion went, neither should he judge a man purely by his actions in one moment, but by his overall grandeur, his usual demeanor. A liar would falter eventually - a naive way of seeing it - but a man, true to himself, would always be just that. Maybe all of them were idiots for having a man here that showed obvious signs of a curse, for even wanting to feed him to their Goddess, and yet, they had all perished while making an attempt. Who fed off of those souls, though? Genji? It would make sense, even if it truly was just the being within him. "I know, but ... Genji. I may be her vessel, yes, and she may hold you dear, yes, but that does not make me unable to contribute my own thoughts, pass my own judgement of things. I am not doing this because I feel like I owe you, or that curse of yours, for barely sparing me anyways. I want to help because, if we get to the root of this, we could cure more than just you. There hardly ever was a cure for something without casualities, was there now?"

Not once had it occured to him to desert his blonde brother-in-arms, or whatever he was supposed to call Genji by now. Both of them were different, completely swept up and kept at bay by their differing desires, but for now, he was happy to at least act like a guide around such an unfamiliar place, even for himself, even after all those years - he hadn't had this much fun in a while, and while he understood the blonde for possibly wanting to keep his distance, he ignored it. Time and time again. Not once did he think himself of unworthy of basking in the strangers presence, or the other way around, no; he was gawking through books, old and musty and yellowed, that he wouldn't have considered to find here, even on Father Seimei's shelves. "A normal life? That is sweet. But what normal life is there to live for a guy that harbors a goddess within his body, shares a shell with her? Let's stop being ridiculous for a bit. I'd like that, you know I do, but at this point, I'm embroiled into the murder of my own people. Eventually, they shall come for me - the inquisition, that is - and from then, we'll see.", Mikuni suddenly mentioned, as if he'd known all along that peace wasn't going to last too long on this mountain. Nobody would come here unless they'd need to, but he knew that, after all, someone was expecting news from them, every once in a while, because the monastery was, after all, connected to someplace else. Feeble fingers flipped through those old pages, scanning them for something, anything valuable. "Then someone has to have inserted him, no?", he suggested, vigor dripping from his voice in a rather evident manner. There could hardly be anything that made sense otherwise. For now, Mikuni didn't find anything, and as such, picked a different book. "Hm, some? Minor exorcisms, mainly possessions. Some were quite real, others ... I remain doubtful. Something as big as you, once. Years ago."

"Otoha said she was able to move freely, because you hid somewhere in the back of your shared mind. when the curse broke free, I did something similar. Maybe if I would have tried or at least looked at what it did, maybe I would have been able to stop it after a while, but I didn't..." He was so tired of fighting and so tired of seeing people die. he couldn't remember what had happened, because he chose to look away. He didn't quite know what happened to Mikuni either. He was telling the priests to run, he tried to fight the will of the curse, but when his body moved to leave the room and he thought Mikuni was safe, he faltered and lost any and all control. Even fighting against it didn't save Father Seimei or those other priests coming to his aid, but maybe it would have saved some of those who ran away or Mikunis sanity. "I am the only one with this curse, what point is there in finding a cure for just me? All I need is a place where I'm locked away in, where I cannot escape, yet wouldn't starve to death. I believe that when the curse took ahold of half of my body, I don't even need to eat anymore..."

Genji sighed, put that book about magic back where he took it from for now and took another. "Nobody needs to know who you are, or about the goddess.", he told Mikuni. 2someone will com here no doubt, but with the corpses burnt, nobody would know you're still alive, would they now? They won't come looking for you." If they went far enough and found a place Mikuni could make himself useful that would be enough, wouldn't it be? "Inserted him?", Genji looked up. "Even though Otoha did leave his side, maybe because of me, that doesn't mean he couldn't have claimed otherwise... she said 'they' forced her to ascend, to die... I don't know who 'they' are, maybe he was involved." But why did she go along with it? Why did she not try to battle faith if she saw it coming? She said she killed lots, wouldn't she'd been strong enough? Wouldn't Genji been able to defend her? "Once? What ailed him?", Genji now asked quite interested. Finding out about Otohas father was probably more of a personal quest, maybe concentrating on the curse was the better option.

"I hid? Oh come on, I#m not that much of a hopeless crybaby!", Mikuni eventually insisted. Little did it matter, whatever or not the two of them would or could simply keep this exhange going - Mikuni had none of it, did not want to hear about whatever atrocities committed and so forth. What was important to him, however, was the quick and painful realization, that there was something that, despite everything, he didn't have under control. It was her, Otoha, his beloved goddess, that for better or for worse, was not only stuck in that head of his, but also fucking with him aplenty, every single time he tried to sort things out for himself. Genji was right, in that regard, they were nothing but similar, nothing but living at the whims of people that, on one hand or the other, controlled them to some degree. Mikuni couldn't say he enjoyed it, let alone favored this way of living, but his mind was focused elsewhere, stuck on thousands upon thousands of letters that he had to make sense of - he wanted nothing more than for himself to finally get what was going on, to give himself the freedom of simply forgetting to exist. It was messy, at best. "Sometimes, we all need to be just a little selfish, you know? Sure, I won't blame you for not wanting to pursue a solution for yourself, but who knows, somebody else could profit from it. Even if it isn't in the next hundred years.", he merely joked, rather lightly. This was a one-of-a-kind curse for sure.

Even then, he didn't just want to give up on those visions he had had, wanted to stop blaming himself for merely being a man of his word and yet, not being a man of anything at all. There was little he could do in regards to his own behaviour, to his own beliefs, and there was much that he could do to improve himself instead. "They will, the moment they see my ... her eye.", he retaliated. Hiding it only worked as long as nobody doubted the eyepatch, and, as soon as they would, the farce would be over. Mikuni would be put on a pedestal, reverred and loved, and then, once everyone was done with him, he'd be cast aside, called nothing but names, exiled for nothing but existing, and shunning for having been a sinful existence all along. That life of his, one that he had to live no less, wasn't going to be a fun one, if he were to trust anyones but Father Seimei's judgement. "Oh, trust me. They will. Why do you think I'm in the monastery in the first place? If they wouldn't systematically witchhunt their vessels, I'd not even be here.", he sighed. Free was, what he'd be and, for better or for worse, he'd have to manage somehow, out there, on the fields of his parents, or in the barren forests that their ancestors cut down before them. Still, he listened, until he stopped on a page he found particularly interesting. Mikuni paused, let Genji speak, and then, without answering anything, he read to Genji: "Around the Dawn of the 224th Day of the Year of the ..., a man laid foot into the monastery. His head blonde, his clothing rather unusual - he had no home, no past, could speak of no future and seemed to live in the present. Claimed to have no memories, he did, and for all I know, he was right about that. A terrible curse had taken ahold of him, he could no longer recall when it had been, or how long it had been, but he sought help from us. A demon was within him, we thus claimed and exorcised the vile being. Months, it took - and eventually, he was healed." That was all, and then he went on. "There's more stuff her, if you want to read it."

"I wish I was as young and short-lived as you. Humans tend to find hope everywhere and they tend to be able to turn their fate around, if only for the following generations. After so many years it is hard to believe that there is something I haven't tried yet..." Apparently there were years when he didn't care about removing that curse of his, but he was sure that wasn't always the case. He remembered the time when he was only starting to notice the curse, when he decided that killing wasn't what he wanted to do and stopped, even though he knew nothing else his whole life. Now it was his life for as long as the world would exist. Life wasn't fair, not to him, not to anyone crossing his path and certainly not to Mikuni. He looked at him apologetic and he pitied him. "Mikuni-no-Homare... you cannot plan to stay with me. I can try to protect you for a while, she asked me to, but it's too dangerous to stay near me, even if she's able to heal your body."

He would protect him, but he needed find a save place for him, somewhere nobody would care about a goddess. They could both live freely, or didn't she want that? What exactly did Otoha want and expect? Genji felt like he got trapped in some weird net and he didn't know if he should look out mainly for himself, for Otoha, or for Mikuni. There surely must be some place where nobody knew Mikuni and they'd never find him. What if he crossed the sea? Mikuni however had other ideas and read from some papers he found strewn across. That sounded oddly familiar, very much like Genji himself. Had he been here before? Did they give up on him so easily because they already tried to save him before? Genji slowly stepped closer and looked at what the priest had found. "Sounds like me... but I can't remember that. When was this...?" He read over the papers a bit, there were some procedures described, or it seemed like it, but he didn't know what those words meant. "Do you know what that is...?", he asked the actual priest, so maybe he could explain it. Genji pointed at some passages. "And what's this number...?" Maybe some sort of casefile?

"And here I am, not wishing to perish by age. Some things simply aren't fair and life wasn't made to be like that, I can tell you as much.", Mikuni answered Genji. Neither of them were meant to live longer than a regular human, be it for sickness or age, and yet, both of them were somewhat immortal in their own ways. One of them would, at this point, never die - while the other would, when his time came, in years from now. It was only fair that they spend time together, learned from one another, at least in his mind, but Genji seemed to know better, to think different. Who was he to blame him, and more importantly, why would he even make a misguided attempt at doing so? It made little to no sense, yes, that much was clear, but it was just that - an attempt. "Genji, I'd rather not have you address me by a title as silly as this one. Mikuni is fine. And that aside, it is the most foolproof plan I have, for now. Things may change, possibly, and I'll be able to come up with something else, something that the two of us can profit off of, yes, but for now, it's the best shot I have. So, yes - Genji - Mikuni-no-Homare has no other plan than to stay near you.", he sighed, somewhat annoyed at all the prospects that would bring. What other choice did he have?

For all he knew, this man should simply whisk him away from this place. There was no way he'd sustain himself here, there was no chance for him to spend more than a fixed timeslot at this monastery, now that he was free - but Genji knew that the two of them would eventually be found out, that this was no place for eternity. It would crumble, or get reposessed, eventually and Mikuni had other places to be, if he truly wanted to exist for more than just a few months. The orchard, the fields - they'd wither without anyone to tend to them, but so would Mikuni, if he simply took care of all of it by his lonesome. "Around thirty to fourty years ago? But it says the person was healed here.", Mikuni made clear as he handed over the paperwork. That would entail that there were two Genjis, or possibly a loophole in this whole statement to begin with. Still, why would anyone lie about unofficial records? Nobody read this if it was kept in these chambers. "The exorcism? Or what do you mean?", he questioned as he sifted through yet another book that he'd picked up. The number had stood out to him as well - he knew what it was either way - but cross-referencing something was still a pain. "That should be a psalm, but even that seems unlikely. Hm. The book for that is in the library, but I'm confused as why these documents are here, then. Genji, just how much do you really remember?"

Genji looked at Mikuni. What was he supposed to do? If he stayed at his side and Genji refused to kill for a long time, the curse would take hold of him again and he'd hurt the young priest and maybe even Otoha. It was too taxing for her to fight that thing and eventually it might win against her, she vanished for multiple hours before. It was too dangerous for both of them, he needed to find a save place for them, far away from himself. Maybe if Mikuni would learn how to defend himself, he'd be able to live on his own? "Mikuni... you know I might attack you again?", Genji asked carefully. He didn't want to, but sometimes he just couldn't help it and either he'd kill someone, or the curse went after that immortal being in front of him and there would be no stopping. "If I#d train you to defend yourself... you surely would be able to leave my side. Have you ever held a sword before?", he asked him. The priests that had lived here seemed peaceful, but they also tried to kill Genji, so maybe they even had weapons around.

Genji looked at the books and papers again, then shook his head. "The description would fit me and if it wasn't me I suppose Father Seimei would have tried the same thing again instead of giving up, wouldn't he? I... I do look healed right now, don't I? Maybe they mistook it, maybe Otoha did something, but... " Did she say anything? Did she say when they last met? He couldn't remember. "There it says they performed some kind of...chant? Ritual? I don't know what any of it means.", he explained his question, then looked up at Mikuni again and shook his head. "I don't remember ever being here before. I don't remember Otoha, or anything about the time I knew her. All I remember is my life as a human, the moment I noticed the curse and... that I heard of this place a few weeks ago and tried to get here as fast as I could. That is all..." And it wasn't very useful, that he knew. If only his brain wasn't as messed up, if only he knew what happened in those hundreds of years, maybe he'd have a chance to find a solution, but not like this.

The two of them were entrapped in what seemed to be a quarrel. One of them said one thing, the other the opposite and thus, they both came to no agreement, like, for fucks sake, could they agree on anything at this point? It did not seem that way, no matter how hard he tried - he wanted to stay close to Genji, for the slight chance to see parts of the world, and not be reminded of a past that could have went smoother, goddamnit. There was nothing for him here, or out there, he was sure of that, even if he tried, he'd just find himself attached to this man by his hip, mirroring his every move - it felt safe to do, even if he might get hurt along the way. "I do, and you know that I can be stubborn.", he sighed. They had made that clear when his body wasn't in one piece anymore, after all, even a goddess' powers needed time, and he still tried to move because for the love of Otoha, he couldn't be contained to that damned sickbay. Even now, he had to admit, it felt alien to be whole again, somewhat confusing to say the very least. It wasn't something he wished upon anyone. "A knife, for ritual purposes. I doubt I'd be a good fighter.", Mikuni lamented instead. Now, what in the world was this guys plan? "But if you teach me, I could ... hm. How about you teach me how to fight you, should you ever go on a rampage?"

There was a chance that none of this worked out, that he'd be permanently crushed beneath the weight of his decisions, and yet, he seemingly did not care. Nothing in this world could help him, could change him in a way that truly mattered, that made things better than they were already. Mikuni-no-Homare knew that the two of them were stuck here, on a mountain, with no one but one another, trying to figure out ancient records that, for better or for worse, made no sense to either of them. "Ah, you mean ... I mean, you do look healed right now, but you don't ..." Mikuni leaned over, shoving the book into Genjis hands. He grabbed the blondes face, cupped his cheeks and furrowed his brows as he tried to stare into his eyes. There was not a smidge of corruption left, but even then, that didn't feel quite right. "Maybe it's the Revelations fault, but to me, you just feel ... wrong, cursed, still. I don't know. You don't look the part, but my fingers tell me otherwise.", he spoke in a rather gruff tone as he let go again. What was that all about anyway? It made little to no sense. Mikuni rubbed his temples, soothed the oncoming headache that would worm its way into his head if he thought a bit too much from here on out. "You really are a mess and a half. Either way, whatever you remember or not, I don't know that chant from the top of my head. I'll take a look later and we'll try it tonight. And you should try to remember, especially if you've been here before. Any chance we can trigger your memories?"

"You and Otoha are both stubborn...", Genji sighed. There was no way they wouldn't stay at his side, especially if both of them wanted it. Genji didn't think it was a good idea, it was dangerous and insane. He'd hurt them, maybe he even managed to kill them somehow, if the curse only had enough time to realize how. Genji felt sick to his stomach thinking about it and Mikunis idea only made him shake his head. "Fight me...? That's... I have hundreds of years of experience and I started training to fight when I was still a kid. I'm not sure if you could.", he told him in all honesty. "For a start I could teach you how to defend yourself. From bandits, or anyone else that might be after you. I wonder... no.", he stopped himself. Genji knew how to use magic to evade certain people or situations and corruption wasn't something he needed to be concerned about. The curse healed his body even from that, but he wasn't sure if Otoha as a goddess could do the same for Mikuni.

Suddenly the priest shoved the book into Genjis hand and grabbed his face. He pulled him closer to look at him. Genji felt somehow uncomfortable and he tried his earnest to let Mikuni look into his eyes without shying away. "The curse is still there, but I think it needs to regenerate. It used up a lot of power to control me for that long and... I think Otoha did something as well.", he explained and once he finally was let go, took a step back. "I'm not sure if anyone but you notices the difference though... " Yet he was sure he would have felt it himself. Whenever he learned anything about his past, whether it be 40 or 400 years ago, it didn't make any sense to him. "I am sorry...", he apologized when Mikuni seemed somewhat mad about the fact that Genjis memory was utterly useless. "I don't know. Nothing here feels familiar... I was able to recall some things about Otoha, but it's feelings I remember, not any particular memory. Maybe if you recreate what they did, I could remember something?" Genji made a short pause, Mikuni was right way before. Genji was tired and maybe he should rest before they tried whatever those priests tried before.

"Are we? I guess I had to have something from the person that took ahold of my body somehow, you know?", Mikuni joked. Maybe it was. Possibly it wasn't. Whatever the case, it really was his own decision - he could make them if he felt like it, or, much to his own chagrin, wouldn't have any obligation to do so any other way. Still, he tried to be entertaining, to come up with a possibly solution for both of them. Not once had he figured that Genji was the one that, for one reason or another, wanted to be as far away from him as possible, lest that ailment of his was going to proceed to murder every single soul that he ever laid his eyes upon. Blaming him was something that he could not do, not feasibly at the very least, but he very much was aware of the fact that, in the end, certain things would come back to bite either of them in the ass, as harsh as it sounded. "And I have no headstart, but a body that can take whatever it needs to. We can at the very least try, right? If you teach me about all those dirty tricks up your sleeve and let me make an attempt at countering them." Surely, Otoha was more adept at dealing with Genji than him, but Genji still needed someone to match him, in a way, did he not? There was little Mikuni could do, at least like this.

Mikuni could blame these strange things on Otoha, on her doing, claim that all she ever did was rob him of his own free will, of his ability to be, but that was hardly true. She was there for him, took care of him and behaved much like a guiding light should, and yet, he kicked her with his feet and claimed her to be a nuisance in his life - it was annoying, maybe even ungrateful of him to act the way he did, but even then, one had to understand that he much rather would prefer a normal life over this one. There were no two ways about it. "But what, that's the question. If Otoha was here during that time, within another vessel, we could figure it out, get a first hand account from her, but you said she seems unwilling?", Mikuni asked, sounding rather caught off-guard. She wasn't always like that, but maybe this was something that the two of them had to figure out together. Why? Because, well, they simply had to - there was no two ways about it, and for better or for worse, Mikuni had to grow to appreciate these things, so long as he could. "There is nothing to be sorry about. How about ... you go and rest for once and I shall prepare the ritual? You read enough for the next week and I don't want to bother you even more. Even if you say no, your head might benefit from resting for once, Genji.", he chastisted the older man. Why was he so against being touched? Mikuni didn't get him.

There were so many things Genji didn't understand, so many things he should remember but didn't. It was like a huge puzzle he missed most of the parts of. He couldn't make out the picture at all. For being hundreds of years old he still only had the experience of a barely grown up man as it seemed, plus the little time he actually remembered. "Training you will take a lot more time than the curse needs to grow back.", he eventually answered. If it grew too far, maybe he just needed to kill anyone, but he didn't want to. What other choice did he have though? Genjis chest felt heavy, his life would always be like this. For all the people he killed, that were his own choice, if the choice of a little boy mattered at all, he killed thousands more by being forced and not even a goddess was able to help him. "Whatever the case, your body needs to heal fully first.", he told Mikuni somewhat determined. He could walk around again, but he needed a bit more time.

"She definitely did something to the curse this time, maybe she did the same before, but maybe she wasn't even here, I don't know..." It seemed to be a gods feat to talk in riddles and not enclose everything at once, for whatever reason. Much as she kept silent about her death, about what exactly happened. "There are things she doesn't want to talk about, but those were mostly parts about her ascension." maybe it was easier for her to talk to Mikuni about all of it. If she told him and Mikuni deemed it unimportant to the current situation, Genji wouldn't ask further. Eventually Genji nodded somewhat defeated. "You're right. I'll try to get some sleep.", he agreed and turned to leave. There were many beds, but the one in the infirmary seemed just fine. If he could just rest his head a bit, maybe he'd be able to actually remember something.

Mikuni had made a plan for the two of them and now, that it had been decided upon without much more than a short, verbal agreement, they could go back to going their seperate ways for the day. At least he thought they'd be able to. No matter what, though, he was fairly certain that he'd invited a plague upon both of them - one of them was taught how to fight for himself years ago and had done so for ages, all the while Mikuni himself could speak of luck to ever have held a small hatchet. Wasn't his father just a lumberjack or something like that? His life had been a rather simple one back then, he remembered, and the gruff old man had taken great care of him, whenever he wanted to join him for the day, deep within the woods. And now, he was somewhere on a damned mountain, high up a glorified rock, and he'd did not recall the slightest bit of information about what once was. It felt rather stupid, no, it was incredibly stupid to have to deal with such things, but who was he to judge? Who was he supposed to tell that none of what had happened was truly affecting him? To Mikuni, all of that was bullshit. Stupid ideas that he had to deal with because someone thought he'd profit from it.

"It will, eventually, and once it does, I will get those fighting lessons!", he declared, as a matter of fact no less. This time, not only did he not want to take chances, he was also incredibly sure of the fact that whatever they were going to do, it would be fine. "Sleep well, and don't you dare not actually sleep.", Mikuni chastised Genji one last time, before parting way with him for real. What else was he supposed to do? Mingling around to find some more information was a rather stupid idea and, frankly, he knew what he had to do. Despite everything, he got the book from the library after descending down again and, with that in tow, headed back to the chapel. A few pieces of chalk was, what he needed, and some tapestry. This oddly seemed like what Father Seimei had been doing with Genji and, for one, Mikuni didn't feel so good about any of this. He changed it up once, then twice, until he ultimately decided to look for another ritual entirely - this book had to hold the key, he figured, but found out, rather sooner than later, that he was currently exploring his only option. What a waste of time! Nevertheless, he was heading out to tell Genji once more, when he heard a cacophony of birds in the distance - were they coming back? Mikuni could not tell.

Sleeping was never an easy task for Genji. Usually, when his own thoughts quieted down, because he ws exhausted enough to actually stop thinking, the curse started to whisper about killing and death, keeping him awake. Now the curse was silent, but even after laying down in one of the beds in the infirmary, his thoughts went in circles. He was thinking about the corpses still piled up outside and the work he should be doing instead of being selfish and trying to further his own goals. He felt bad for laying in bed doing nothing and the faces of the dead priests haunted him. Eventually exhaustion took over and he fell asleep, at least for a little while. Still he was troubled by nightmares, by the same he always had. The priests joined the other souls Genji had killed to form an army that would swarm the whole world. They swallowed Genji and he could do nothing about it, nothing to stop them and they were angry, hated him for what he'd done and for being too weak to hold back that curse of his.

He woke up only a few hours later. His head hurt and he felt more tired than before, but he got up anyway. He rubbed his eyes, before deciding that he could use some fresh air and moved to the window. It was then when he saw a bunch of birds being scared by something, or more likely someone. Where was Mikuni? Genji moved quickly and once he opened the door, he almost ran into the priest he went out to search for. "Mikuni.", he let out and looked at him. "Someone is coming. I don't know who, but they'll know in an instant something is wrong... Pack anything you might need and quick. Then hide in your room, I'll find you there." Genji didn't wait for an answer, instead he got his only possession - his sword - to then hurry down the stair and to the entrance of the building complex. He hid just in the corner besides the giant wooden door, melting with the shadows. Maybe they had a chance they'd just leave, whatever the case, he wanted to wait for their move before he decided what he'd do himself.

For once, he thought, there would be peace in his daily life. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if, just now, he was able to retain some of that if he simply kept at it. Genji was here and this place was far, far away from anywhere that could tear this weird, newly formed bond asunder - there needn't be anyone to tell them what to do, much like it was no use for the two of them to keep hiding here, about that, the blonde was right, especially once he'd be rid of his curse. Who knew, maybe he'd indulge this priest for a bit before settling for death, spend some time with him, show him what it was that both of them needed for some much sought-after fun. Regardless, Mikuni would take it, but the omen that fell upon them was one that he had not expected, not in a long shot - the birds had only just returned, he figured, and thus, he was in a better mood than not too long ago. Instead, it soured as he laid eyes upon the formerly sleeping form of his guest and to-be combat instructor; he seemed tired, even more so than ever, and before Mikuni could ask a single thing, he already was told about what was happening.

"Hide? What? Genji, why are we- no, how do you know?", he asked, sounding rather puzzled. What was he to pack? Where would they even go? Why would they even flee? There were too many questions he could and would ask, worse yet, he'd not be able to keep himself at bay if this kept happening - he had lost friends and family, now he was apparently leaving his home. All of this was too much, just the tiniest bit too much, and as his world was shattering before his eyes, Mikuni nodded, without another word. All of Genjis work had been for naught, he figured, but like that, he could at the very least do something for the both of them, he figured. As galant as his walk usually was, as hastily did he move now - much like something had spooked him, as his gestures grew more erratic, the more earnest he tried to be; he packed things he never knew he'd need; some of those books and a much-needed change of clothes, but even as he did hide in his room and wondered what it was that was hastily approaching this place, he could only hope to get out of there in time, with Genji by his side, even as he heard the bell being pulled, right there, at the front gate. Their visitors had arrived.

Genji hid, waited for whoever came here to reach the door. It was three soldiers, or were it mercenaries? They sure seemed little shocked by the pile of corpses outside. Surprised yes, but not concerned about the wellbeing of this places dwellers. Instead they checked if the doors would still be answered. Genji didn't want to fight, much less did he intend to kill, but those people also didn't look like they'd just leave again. They started talking about father Seimei, they searched for him and some of them suggested maybe he was dead like the rest. The other one was talking about needing proof and if nobody was here, why not stay and find somethin they could bring back. It seemed like this place was doomed, whether Genji arrived here or not, but he knew that was just a shabby excuse he made up for himself to feel better. They didn't mention Mikuni or Otoha at least, but Genji was willing to listen further, while he also silently locked the big gate, only for them to try and open it moments later to no avail.

They'd just try other entrances after throwing their bodies against this gate and before they could leave to find one, Genji opened the gate again, because he wasn't in the mood of playing cat and mouse. The three men turned him as he opened the gate and stepped out of the shadows. "Leave this place, if Father Seimeis death is what you seek, I granted him such. There is no need for you to stay here." One of the men, probably their leader stepped forward. "Who are you and how do we know you're not just hiding that old geezer?!", he asked rudely and Genji shook his head. "You don't, but I'd rather not fight you." All three started laughing. "Well if he's dead, why don't you come with us to be our witness?", they asked, though it didn't sound like a question. "Just turn back.", Genji answered, hoping that the fact he killed all those people was scaring them away, but all they were were helpless priests, so of course they didn't. The two other man started to circle Genji, all three of them reaching for their swords, while Genji kept his hands free. Three mercenaries were nothing he feared, he had more to fight for. He didn't want to use his sword however so when they started charging at him from three sides, he simply used some simple magic trick to jump about double his height. As an assassin this trick came in handy whenever he needed to climb a wall. Now it came in handy because those three men were for one confused and two too startled to stop their momentum. They crashed into eachother, possibly injuring themselves in the process. There was blood Genji could see as well as smell as soon as it left one of the mens body. He landed behind them as they scrambled back to their feet. "What was that?!", yelled one while the other winced, holding his side. "What if he's...?", asked the third and Genji finished his sentence. "Noroichi? I suggest you return with some more of your friends." The men looked at him, helping the injured one up. "Why not just kill us now?", one of them asked and Genji shook his head, almost as if he was amused. If he already got a bad image, why not use it. "If you come back with an army, I'll have more fun.", he lied. "Dozens of priests weren't exactly to my taste." He wasn't sure if they believed him, apparently one of them did, the other was injured and the third didn't seem like he wanted a one on one with Genji. He grit his teeth, before starting to scramble away, with their injured friend in tow. Genji stayed there until they were out of sight and then sighed. Time to find Mikuni. Genji hurried to Mikunis room and knocked at his door. "It's just me.", he told him through it to not spook him too much, before he entered. "Drove them away... how far is the nearest town?"

Before long, there was a commotion that Mikuni had not expected - he had figured that Genji would come for him, sooner than later that was, and that the two of them would book it out of there as fast as they could. Somehow, though, that didn't happen and before long, he had to break even with the thought that, while Genji was not the one that was getting injured, he was the one doing the killing or rather hurting. He didn't like the thought one bit, but aside from some wordy scraps, he could hear nothing up here - it was all too far away and, much like a little kid, he was cowering in a corner that, for the most part, was not only quite visible from the door, but also rather uncomfortable. Survival was not his strong suit, that much was clear, but Mikuni was also painfully - or maybe blissfully? - aware that without someone like Genji, he'd never stand a chance in the slightest to begin with. Little did it matter what he thought or what he could come up with to rationalize those thoughts of his. In the end, the outcome was the same, was it not?

There was some sort of movement, after all the yelling had passed and Mikuni found himself painfully aware of the consequences of his own - mental - actions, robbed of a companion to hold his hand indefinitely. There was little he could do, really, as he figured that, whatever the case, he was only making it worse on himself if he kept at it. Truly, he never relaxed until there was a definite knock at the door and someone allowed himself in. Wide-eyed, like a young buck, caught in the act, he was staring at the blonde figure - his chest deflated and whatever tension hat risen to his face fell from it, smack-dab, just like that. "Are you fine? In one piece? I thought something happened to you!", the priest complained, visibly relieved about what had just happened. It was hell, in its own way, that much was for sure - there was no way he'd be able to stand his ground on his own, even if they just were playing a game of cat-and-mouse. Mikuni would lose, he wasn't that adept at walking, let alone that good at running from someone without making more noise than necessary. "The next town? A few days away, honestly. Why?" Never once had he gone there, he didn't even know which direction it was in and those who did had left behind no notes of their little escapades. "We can't stay here, can we?"