thebastion | [Day 196 and 197] Seconds march into the past [OPEN

"Well, I certainly hope not," he murmured, arching a brow slowly and tilting his head. "I am older than you, yes, but I am not old, neither by human or kitsune standards. As for lecherous, I do not believe I've ever done anything to qualify, regardless of what your brother might think," he murmured, bristling quietly at the idea.

"And to be fair, considering my preferences, even with the allowances it would be somewhat scandalous, and there would still be expectations. I would have to marry and have to have heirs, regardless. Though generally, as high as my rank is, or was, it would be the Mikado who chose my wife. It would be unlikely I had any choice in the matter."

[ Want to do a few more posts to whittle down the conversation and then time-skip the travel to Izumo? ]

"I said I try. It never works." He chuckled apologetically, leaning against Seimei a little, "I couldn't even imagine what you would look like old - if you even age at all - and as for the lecherous bit, you're far too refined for any of that." And as for his brother... "It's not just you, you know, Hikaru is suspicious of everyone. But especially so if they're pursuing his baby brother..."

A frown clouds his features for a moment. The idea of arranged marriages never sat well with him. It was not a practice in his own family but for a lot of his classmates, the prospect of being pushed into a 'sensible' or 'advantageous' union for the sake of their family was very real.

((sounds good!))

"I could not tell you," he answered, reaching up and touching Kaoru's hair thoughtfully with his free hand before scratching his own nose and casting his eyes skyward.

"Kitsune are ageless, but I am only half and there is no precedent. Not insofar as I know, personally. There are stories of half kitsune men and women, but none of us communicated personally and there are rarely tales of their lives at length. By the same token, there are no tales of their deaths, either."

Shaking his head, Seimei returned his gaze to the path ahead, keeping an eye out for places ensuring their footing.

"what are you thinking of that makes your face so grim?"

"Grim? Me?" He pulled a quick smile to alleviate any concerns. Absolutely fine, see, just thinking! Only thinking! "Just… other families…" Not that this explained anything. He understood tradition, he did, but the Hitachiins had bucked tradition after tradition for generations.

"…it doesn't happen so much in my world, but in my society it does. I have schoolmates whose engagements are already planned out, or who know that, when it does happen, it will proceed like a business transaction. I just... don't like the idea of someone ordering people around as to who they should marry. I don't care who they are."

"A simple fact of life in my time, though I am rather unsurprised that 900 years would not eradicate it. At least in our shared culture. We are a proud and deeply traditional people, and nine centuries is hardly enough to breed that out, no matter how small the world may have become," the onmyoji remarked with a faint smile and tilt of his head.

"It should not trouble you so, now. This is a world where those old laws are mere stories. When the Bastion grows enough to sustain future generations, I highly doubt there will be anything put in place determining who must marry one another. Though repugnant as I find the idea, I might suggest voluntary coupling without commitment for the sake of bolstering numbers, but that is hardly a concern at present. We cannot afford the care and protection needed for children now. We can barely protect ourselves."

"...and yet we find ourselves overrun with all kinds of strange and wonderful creatures." Kaoru hummed, tilting his head to one side. The idea of breeding - for want of a better word - wasn't particularly appealing to him, either. It sounded like a bad Sci Fi plot.

"It stands to reason, though, in families like the ones I was surrounded with, that those values would never really disappear. Since they've been around for all of those years..." After all, commoners didn't really care since they had little to no hope of getting into high society without the head-spinning wealth to compete with the other families.

Probably just the same as in Seimei's time.

He nodded slowly, glancing around briefly before allowing himself to shoulder a little more of Kaoru's weight, hand turning to thread their fingers together as they walked. It was an entirely unfamiliar thing to him, previously. So many things simply weren't done in public in his time, particularly in regards to displays of affection. It always made him feel a little naughty, a bit guilty and lot pleased.

"Did you, or do you, want a family of your own?" he asked, tilting his head and keeping his eyes on the path ahead. "Before, I did not. I was not...Hm. I did not think passing on my legacy was a good idea. I had a very difficult childhood and any enemies of mine may have become enemies of my child. Now...now my only concern is my lack of ability to raise one. Ah, well. That and the actual having of a child, but there was always adoption."

"You'd be a great dad, Seimei."

He couldn't help smiling a little at the shift and leaning into it, gently running his thumb against Seimei's fingers.

"…I was still figuring a lot of that out, to be honest. I guess… I don't know. I mean, I like kids. Kids are cute. But at the same time…" …he was not sure how best to put it.

"I think part of me is scared that I could never accept anything that isn't... well, part of me. Or part of you. Anything that isn't a part of me-and-you. I mean, assuming it were to happen some time in the future. That might not be the case but what if it is..."

"Do you think so?" he asked, curious of the thought. It was not something he often thought of, and he rarely saw himself as a particularly skillful parental figure. Children liked him, he thought they were a joy and blessing under the right circumstances, but having his own had always seemed entirely out of the question.

Now the world was potentially right and he had fallen in love with a man. would wonders ever cease?

"I would try to reassure you and say you were young, but by your age many young men were already well on their ways to starting families of their own. I am completely out of the ordinary," he chuckled, shaking his head and turning to press a kiss into Kaoru's hair.

"Are you suggesting I try to find a way to make the impossible possible? I would, you know. There is nothing magic cannot accomplish, given the will."

"Well you managed well enough with me." He had it on good authority that he could be quite the child when he wanted to. Or... Most of the time.

"I'm not suggesting that but since you do... I'm really not sure how Hikaru would feel about me becoming a teen parent..." he joked lightly, closing his eyes at the kiss. "I think... As it is, we've seen enough upheaval already. How about we let things settle down for a while. It's not like I'm broody or anything, we have our hands quite full enough already."

He hesitated.

"Besides. In this environment..."

"I would not suggest anything now anyways, Kaoru, certainly not given the circumstances. Our relationship is...complicated," the onmyoji murmured with a faint smile and tilt of his head to regard the younger man.

"It is something better left for consideration at a later date, if you are quite interested. I intend to share a very long life with you. I think...children would only enrich it."

"We'll talk it over again later then, yes. In any case, we're woefully under-equipped to begin with." He still wasn't entirely sure how it was supposed to work out… surely it would be like trying to bake a cake without an oven. Or… no, that was exactly what it would be like. He had every confidence in Seimei's abilities, but… not in his ability to make children appear out of thin air.

But they had got rather ahead of themselves. Like Seimei said, they had a long time ahead of them to figure out this sort of thing - however they were going to figure it out.

"Well...let us not dwell on such things. For now, we have somewhere to be and a short leash with which to reach it," Seimei murmured, inclining his head to the path before them.

As with many of the pieces of Skyway that had been revealed to the residents recently it was not a terribly long journey. There was a bit of climbing involved and things were a little hairy on occasion but their combined skill was enough to see them through. There wasn't much in Izumo that they couldn't handle, as though the creatures of the Skyway themselves acknowledged that it was a hallowed place. True to his word it was littered with shallow graves and old wood and stone markers. Many of the bones were trampled and destroyed but the sheer numbers were overwhelming. An entire people simply wiped out.

Seimei's mood grew serious and quiet when they passed the first grave. After that, he had very little to say of his own accord, though he remained willing to answer questions.

The village, half-consumed by nature, was enough to give anyone a healthy dose of the heebie-jeebies, even Kaoru. He drew a little closer to Seimei on seeing the first piles of bones, and tried not to step on anything as he looked around them both. Unwittingly or other wise, it was rather bad form to stand on a grave.

Seimei had warned him, and he had been prepared, but… it was the size of some of the bones that made him draw in his breath. Small and fragile, and unmistakably a child's bones.

He tore his gaze away and swallowed, tugging on Seimei's sleeve and half-dreading the answer,

"…why did this happen, Seimei? Were these people dangerous…?"

"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."

"But even the children…?" He knew was a pointless question; that in genocide it was never 'even the children?' but 'especially the children.' If a leader wanted to exterminate an entire clan or village, he wouldn't leave any possible link behind, no matter how small.

And Seimei was right. Most of their civilisations were built - even continued to be built - on senseless bloodshed; on exterminations like this.

He breathed a sigh of his own along with Seimei's, grateful for his lover's arms, and allowed himself to be steered as he calmed himself down. It was a little relieving to be away from the graves, but it still felt rather like his hair was standing on end, which was particularly unnerving.

"Was this the centre of the village?"

Seimei's eyes drifted over Kaoru at the question of children, wondering if perhaps he was wrong for bringing the boy here. Maybe he was, it was too late now. He knew he didn't have to reply, at least; the boy was smart enough to know the answer on his own.

"Spiritually, yes, physically, no. The village center is a little further up that way, where they started building around the cave, but the cave is what started it all," the onmyoji explained, issuing a wordless command for his attending shikigami to light the cave as they descended.

He was amazed at how well-preserved everything was. The carvings, the paintings, all of it still there. Bones were scattered in the center of the platform he had once been trapped on, and he knew instinctively that they were Genkaku's. Lips moving in silent prayer, Seimei leaned over and ran his fingertips across the dusty instrument the man had played in his last moments.

"This was the village leader. Only he and his two children survived. They ascended to the Heavens and Genkaku-sama exhausted his life saving me from death. Granted, he was the one responsible for my death in the first place, but it is no small thing to save someone like me."

Given their earlier conversation, Kaoru was trying not to dwell on children so much. If they were to have them - even if they could - was there any guarantee they would be able to protect them? Or would they be rendered just as powerless?

Even if he were seriously considering the possibility, it was out of the question until he knew he could guarantee their safety in this world. Not until he knew he could keep safe what he already had.

Anger flickered through him for a moment when he saw the pile of bones, when Seimei explained. Genkaku may have tried to attone for himself in the end at with his own life but... it didn't change that he hurt Seimei in the first place. Even if his anger was a little irrational, when Genkaku had clearly been dead for years - thousands of years, in Kaoru's own timeline. What was he going to do? What could he do? If anything, rather than getting angry shouldn't he be thankful? It was at the cost of his life that Seimei was even here with him, after all.

He had released Seimei's arm when he stepped towards the bones, himself lingering at the edges of the platform and not sure whether or not he should venture closer. After another moment's hesitation, he stepped onto the plinth behind Seimei, pressing his palms together and closing his eyes for a moment.

Edited 2014-06-24 09:36 (UTC)

Kaoru's prayer pleased the onmyoji and he watched for a moment before drifting off to explore the chamber and its various connections, eyes drifting over the paintings. He dearly wished they could remove some of the pieces and take them to the Bastion. He could place them in the garden somewhere, or on bases in the house. They deserved to be properly recorded, and he considered asking the large dragon fellow for help later. Perhaps he would assist...

He paused, eyes flicking to the side when his attention was caught by a flash of dull light down a long tunnel.

"Kaoru..." he murmured, holding up a hand and gesturing for the young man to stay back and behind him. "I am going to see something. Do not go anywhere alone, please," Seimei added, moving silently in the direction of the brief glint he had spied.

It was about that same time that the skull near Kaoru's feet trembled, clattering softly before rolling to one side and turning empty sockets upon the redhead.

He smiled at Seimei as he lowed his hands, nodding.

"I won't wander. I promise."

Kaoru watched him go, then turned on the spot, looking at the walls and the artwork there. Some kind of story? Unfortunately the movement of the skull distracted him from puzzling it out. When the skull shifted and rolled, Kaoru instinctively took a step back but otherwise kept his word, even as a shudder ran through him. He glanced around uneasily in search of his onmyoji, clearing his throat before he called,

"Seimei...?" He hesitated, wet his lips and tried again, "...uh, Seimei?

"...Seimei, Genkaku's staring at me."

"Tell him to stop, then," Seimei answered distractedly from further down the corridor, trying not to move his eyes from where he had seen the glimmer. "Its just a ghost, Kaoru, it can't hurt you," he added, attempting to be reassuring while being too busy thinking of something else to make a real effort.

The skull clattered softly again, scraping along the stone floor, other bones scritching and scratching along, clattering together like brittle bits of kindling inside of while a small animal might have been rummaging. There were no tendons, no muscles or flesh - it couldn't do anything or go anywhere on its own, but Kaoru's presence made the spirit curious.

"Actually, would you mind bringing him over here?" Seimei asked suddenly. "He might know what I'm looking for and directions would be useful. I am certain he can appreciate my desire to preserve what is left of Izumo."

Just a ghost. Just a ghost? Really helpful, Seimei. Ghosts didn't exist in Kaoru's world. They were not a natural part of his life before he came to the Bastion. They were just tricks - not real.

So he was a bit scared of trying to interact with them like normal now, and more than a little uncertain about whether or not to take Seimei's advice. What if the skull actually obeyed?

"Bring him?" Kaoru echoed, glancing between the pile of bones and Seimei's back. "...all of him? Or is it just his skull I'm bringing over?"

"Ah? Oh, just the skull is enough. I have no intention of putting him together and carrying him anywhere. If we do anything with the rest it will simply be burying it near his wife, if he pleases. Come on now, it is nothing to be afraid of - right Genkaku?" he asked, looking over his shoulder and arching a brow.

The skull and other bones fell still, teeth clacking together noisily enough to echo in the chamber. Evidently that was warning enough.

Jeez, Seimei. The things Kaoru does for you.

He turned and looked down at the pile of bones and took a deep breath. Right then.

"Looks like I'm taking you on a trip, Genkaku." ...and that's a skull in his hands. A human skull. A real one. He would try not to think too much of that as he took the step down and started to join Seimei.

The skull and its owner didn't seem terribly put off by being moved. When Kaoru came bearing his passenger, Seimei reached out and took the bony bit, turning it over in his hands and raising it face to face.

"Well, old friend, curious how the tables turn. I must say, I did not expect to see you here, even in this condition. Bear with me," the onmyoji murmured, holding the skull in one hand and pulling out one of his shikigami dolls. He could have used a simpler spell, simply given the man the power of speech, but he was feeling generous and chose to press the doll against the forehead of the skull.

A whispered word and Seimei stepped back, the skull floating in the air on its own before being enveloped with a thin mist that spread to the ground, coalescing into a human form with actual solid mass.

A moment later and Kaoru was looking at Genkaku himself in all his former glory - such as it was.

"Seimei..." the man murmured, drawing his chin up. The onmyoji simply smiled.

"A pleasure to see you again. Genkaku-san, may I introduce Hitachiin no Kaoru."

"...Mm." the older man murmured, bowing politely to Kaoru before casting a bland look Seimei's way.

"Oh do not look at me so. You should be pleased - you got your wish. All the world is gone and Izumo still stands. Poetic, I think," Seimei drawled, folding his hands into his sleeves. Genkaku frowned slightly before nodding his head.

"No one to appreciate it but you, though. Small surprise."

"Ah yes, and I thank you for the luxury," the onmyoji replied with a fox-faced smile. Genkaku simply sighed, casting his weary gaze on Kaoru again with idle curiosity. After all, the boy was certainly not the sort of person Genkaku would be familiar with, much like Seimei had not been.

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