"Someone thought they were," he answered a bit cryptically, though not with the intention of being so. His gaze drifted down, looking at the hand tugging his sleeve before reaching out and wrapping both arms around the both with a long sigh. It was as much for his own comfort as Kaoru's.

"Izumo was a powerful holy place with so many attachments to the Gods. The people were peaceful. Mystics and healers, mostly. Avarice and fear of the unknown started a complete genocide. Holy relics were stolen and taken to Kyoto. The saying goes that history books are written by the 'winner', and it is true. No story is ever wholly accurate. I can promise you one thing: what happened here was utterly senseless."

Another sigh, Seimei leading them around graves to the temple cave where he had faced Genkaku an opened the gate to heaven.

"...There are reasons I loathe mankind, Kaoru. It is not out of a sense of superiority. It is out of disappointment."