Author's Note: This chapter is going to be a reflection on the life of our fated exorcist. Thank you for your inspiring reviews for last chapter, I really appreciate them all. Italics are flashbacks or things that happened in the past just so you know.
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"To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, let it go"—Mary Oliver
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There was one a boy who was born into this world with the sixth sense—he had the ability to see the unseen world that passes us by each and every day of our lives. Unfortunately, his gift was his curse; therefore, his village felt that he would bring misfortune to them and shunned the boy.
At the age of five he found solitude in befriending the youkai who resided in the woods near his house. The children of the village were cruel and allowed for their parents perceptions to be passed down to them.
His mother tried to make her son normal and wanted him to drop all of this nonsense about youkai; however, the child could not comprehend why no one else could see what he could and how such caring creatures could be harmful.
His father on the other hand, knew quite well that he was to blame for his son's misfortune. He, himself, had never received the gift of sight but knew that his family lineage was prominent in producing exorcists—he had even gone so far as to hide the truth from his wife in fear of her reaction.
The father's worse fears were soon realized and out of guilt he gave his son enough love for both himself and his wife who had in return rejected her own child. She would spend most of her days in the garden outside of their home, mumbling to herself and cursing the gods for sending her a curse instead of a blessing.
How could a mother reject her own son? His remorseful father would question each and every time his son looked up at him with his large crimson eyes shining with mirth. He would hug his child and whisper words of encouragement in hopes that the boy may know that he was loved.
Life continues to go on and soon the seasons change leaving us to wonder where has the time gone? For eight years the father loved his son, he did everything in his power to shield his son from the mistrusting villager's stares. It was during these days where he would take his son to see the woman his father once loved, she was accepting of him in every way and even grew to love him as her own grandson.
His mother's condition had only deteriorated, his father knew this well, but no matter how much he loved his wife he couldn't turn his back on his son—he was truly the world to him. In his eyes, his son was beautiful in every aspect from his soul to his outlook on life and his affection toward others no matter how cruel they were, his face would always hold a smile.
'Does it bother you, Kan-chan when the children don't play with you? Aren't you lonely?' his father would ask, noticing that the children never played with his child.
'No,' his son would reply and smile while holding his father's hand in his own, 'I'm not lonely because I have you.'
The father would kneel down and embrace his son, tears streaming down his cheeks in the process, 'I love you, Kan-chan, please always remember that.'
The child's world shattered that year when his father did not come for him after school. He found it odd yet figured that he would surprise his father by showing up at home on his own—with a smile he had headed home in hopes of finding his father's smiling face to greet him at the door.
However, no smile or loving embrace would follow for when he walked inside his breath caught in his lungs at the sight of his father's motionless body lying on his bed; his mother sobbing at the side of her husband, while countless villagers sadly shook their heads.
The smile the boy usually held was gone, his eyes staring blankly at the only person he had ever loved, it wasn't until he saw the madness in his mother's eyes when she turned to face him that the tears cascaded down his cheeks, "It's because of you he's gone! He was on his way to find you! I hate you!'
The boy slowly moved backwards out of the room, as her words rang out in his mind, 'I hate you!' before he turned and took off running his sandals echoing as he ran down the steps and out the front gates.
He ran until his legs gave out and fell to the ground on his hands and knees, his tears falling from his face and onto the ground beneath him. His heart ached, his throat hurt from the sobs he had been trying to still, and the eyes of the villagers bore into his back.
When all looked lost for the boy and he had hung his head in shame, he felt a hand on his shoulder and slowly looked up to find the same woman who his father had first introduced him to.
"…Grandmother, Kaoru…" he whispered, his body wracking with sobs, as he sat before her.
She slowly knelt down rubbing his head with her hand, "My poor little Kan-chan," she stated looking into his crimson eyes full of pain.
His eyes widened when he felt her arms wrap around him and hold him to her, "You'll come home with me, for I already love you."
So much sadness for one so young to have been exposed to; after his father's death the boy's smile was never the same; it had all become a façade. The real Ichinomiya Kantarou died with his father on that day, and only reflections of the former occasionally showed through.
Without his father there to shield him, the villager's and their children became cruel; Kaoru did not have the status to deter them and offered the boy her love and comfort in the days ahead. That is why the boy surrounded himself with youkai and sought after the Onikui Tengu of legend.
"Kantarou, please be careful dear," chided Kaoru as she watched the boy nearly stumble down the stairs, "Wherever are you going?"
He stopped with a lopsided grin appearing on his face, just long enough to give her a hug, "I think I'm going to find the Onikui Tengu today, grandmother!"
Sighing the old woman shook her head, the boy sure was energetic, and their collection of odd books and random objects was increasing tenfold. She watched as he tripped over the fabric of his kimono just once, made himself right again and ran down the street. A smile appeared on her face, "How like your grandfather you are, Kantarou."
That day nearly shattered the old woman's heart, as she ran down the road the boy had taken earlier in the day heading toward the ancient temple that had been worshipped by the villager's for centuries. He hadn't come home and it was growing late, she couldn't imagine what could be keeping him.
Her heart tightened at the sight of her child slumped up against a Sakura tree with blood seeping through the front of his once white kimono and a trail of crimson running down the right side of his face from his eye, talismans scattered around him stained with dirt and his own blood.
Her mantra, as she held him to her and cried was, 'Remember I love you.'
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"Rosary, here is your dinner," informed Hasumi as he set down the plate in front of his adopted daughter and handed her a cup of tea.
He couldn't help but notice how distant she had become since the folklorist had departed earlier in the week, but shrugged it off as he went to retrieve his own dinner from the kitchen.
Rosary reached for tea cup when a crack appeared in it. Her eyes widened at the omen, while her gaze turned out the window toward the east where Kantarou's village was known to be.
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Miyu passed her grandmother the freshly made cup of tea, "Here grandmother, please drink this."
Youko couldn't help but voice her thoughts now that the elderly woman appeared to be calming down, "Why did you say 'not the temple'?"
Kaoru slowly took a sip of her tea and lowered the glass, "I had a dream," she whispered, still rather shaky, "I saw my little one on that fated day…"
Youko's face held a confused expression as she looked to Miyu for some enlightenment only to find none.
"It was eighteen years ago when he went to the temple in search of the Onikui Tengu…" she informed, her eyes glazing over at the memory, "When I found him he was in a pool of his own blood," she took a deep breath to calm herself and heard both girls gasp, "I have never been so frightened before."
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Haruka gazed up at the changing sky above him as he lay on the roof. He let out a sigh when he heard the ladder creaking to inform him that someone was coming to interrupt his silence—no doubt his baka master.
"Hakura, do you mind if I join you?"
His eyes left the sky to find Youko standing before him on the ladder with a smile on her face. He gave a nod of his head to let her know that he didn't care either way. When she took a seat next to him he waited as an awkward silence settled over the two, he could tell that there was something on her mind.
"What is it Youko?" he questioned, his eyes focusing on the night sky once more.
"Haruka," she began, turning her gaze upward as well, "what is Kan-chan to you?"
Haruka's gaze shifted at her question, how strange of a question it was, "What do you mean?"
"I mean," she thought carefully, "is Kan-chan merely your master or do you feel anything toward him?"
"Why would you ask me this?"
"Because to me Kan-chan is more than my master," she explained, turning her attention to him, "To me, he is my friend and no matter how many times he uses me to make money, I still am happy to be with him."
Haruka's eyes widened at her words "Kantarou is…" he began, a sweatdrop appearing, "to me he is…" this sure was hard and so un-cool, "Kantarou is Kantarou. The baka master who I am now subjected to because he was the one to set me free and give me a name; his driving is atrocious, he's a cheap drunk, and his love for money is disturbing."
Youko hung her head and sighed, talking to Haruka about emotions was like talking to a brick wall. However, she wondered if maybe beneath the surface Haruka did regard Kantarou as a friend.
"Well, I like Kan-chan most of all because he accepts me for what I am," informed Youko, watching a shooting star pass by and smile, "Kan-chan isn't like most humans, he isn't closed minded and he protects youkai from people who would misuse them."
With that, she stood up and bid Haruka goodnight before slowly making her way down the ladder leaving the tengu to think of her words.
'Kantarou is probably the only human that could name me; he's far different then any human I had ever met in the past, with the exception of the man who sealed me--to think that I would be set free by his descendant. He's a complete procrastinator, he doesn't take his work seriously, yet perhaps I'm missing something?'
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A stream of crimson ran along the cracked stairs, falling off the edges, while creating a steady drip, drip, drip that the tengu's ears could not ignore. Following the stairs, the crimson trail continued where the exorcist now lay, the right side of his face engulfed in blood starting where his eye once was visible, a handful of talisman's still fisted in his left hand, the bells on his wrist giving off a dangerously loud ringing, and the Onikui Tengu falling on his knees outside of the barrier that would not break against his will.
"What does Kan-chan mean to you?"
Her voice rang throughout his mind as he stared at the fragile form of his master. Kantarou's left eye was clouded from shock or blood loss Haruka couldn't tell, he could hear the ragged breaths of his master, his hand twitching involuntarily on its own.
"Is Kan-chan only your master?"
"Kantarou!" yelled Haruka, his voice already hoarse, "Kantarou get up damn it! Aren't you always preaching that you want to be stronger?!"
Haruka watched helplessly as Watanabe appeared on the steps of the temple, his arms crossed over his chest, and a smug look on his face. It wasn't until Haruka felt the presence of a complete and utter darkness that his breath hitched. Next to Watanabe appeared a female with long black hair and black eyes, wearing a blue kimono with a white obi.
"I want to be the one to finish off the exorcist," she informed him, a smile appearing on her face, "I won't be satisfied until I can no longer hear him breathing; it will be my way of thanking him for imprisoning me all those years ago."
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"Kantarou, is that it?" asked Haruka, motioning to the scar on the young exorcist's chest.
"Hai," he informed, placing his hand on his chest, "I received this a long time ago from an oni, I was careless, very careless," he looked down for a moment and sighed, " Now whenever there's an oni around it starts to hurt and I become weak. Sometimes the pain is so great that I pass out."
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"A long time ago from an oni…"
"The scar I gave him is still there," stated the female with a laugh accompanying her statement as she proceeded down the stairs.
"Why not fight the Onikui Tengu instead?!" hollered Haruka, immediately standing on his feet.
She regarded him for a moment, only to be interrupted by Watanabe, "The Onikui Tengu is being saved for another."
"What a shame," she replied, her face turning demonic as her gaze shifted to the fallen exorcist, "Can you move?" she taunted, her steps slow and drawn out, "I want to smell your fear, it's not as fun if you cannot even struggle for your own meaningless existence."
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It's cold and their voices are muffled. I can't see, there's no light, it's as if darkness has engulfed me. I feel so alone…
"I love you Kan-chan, please always remember that."
That voice, it sounds so familiar…a voice that I haven't heard since I was young, his voice…
It's my father's voice. I want to see him; maybe if I allow myself to slip into darkness then I can be with him.
"Kan-chan, you must always keep walking forward. Your life has meaning, you mustn't forget that."
How can I continue to move forward with no light to guide me?
"If you fall, take my hand Kan-chan, I will help you up."
It's so dark, but if you're really here then take hold of my hand…
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"It looks as though we've arrived at the best part," informed Ibaragi, sitting on a tree branch, her legs dangling over the side of the branch.
"Hai, although I was hoping that Ichinomiya would have faired longer," replied Raikou with a smirk, before turning his attention to his main objective, "However, look at the Onikui Tengu, do you see that wild look in his eye? That is what I want to fight…to bring honor back to my clan."
"Raikou-sama, it seems as though one of the pawns in this chess game is not finished…"
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Kantarou's left eye suddenly began to focus, the world and its sounds around him coming into view. The pain was overwhelming the moment his mind registered his wounds and the echoing footsteps approaching only caused his breath to catch in his lungs.
"Exorcist, I wanted to have more fun with you," her voice was venomous.
"Kantarou! Damn this barrier!" rang out Haruka's cries.
'Barrier? Oni? Haruka…'
Her footsteps stopped, she slowly began to raise her right arm which shifted into a scythe, "Good bye exorcist!"
A blinding light appeared causing Haruka to shield his eyes momentarily before turning his gaze back to his fallen master who he had been helpless to save; he would now be bound to Kantarou even in death due to his name.
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Youko's attention turned toward the direction that she had last seen Kantarou heading in. A large flock of birds suddenly rose from out of the bushes as if startled by some unseen presence, causing her to jump momentarily.
"I'm going," she informed the other two occupants of the house before heading toward the front door.
"Wait," Youko turned to find Kaoru's hand on her shoulder, "We're coming as well. This visit has probably brought up terrible memories for Kantarou and I want to be there."
"If grandmother Kaoru is going then I might as well go too," informed Miyu with a wink,
"Hai, let's go then!" exclaimed Youko, hurrying outside with the two in tow.
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Haruka's eyes widened, feeling his breath return to him, "…Kantarou…"
The exorcist leaned on his right forearm for support while holding up his left arm, a talisman in between his index and middle fingers; having created a barrier around himself right before the oni would have ended his existence.
"Every life has purpose my son, even yours."
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Ok that's all that I have time for today! Please review!
